Van the Man on the Jukebox
by tennismaniac19
Summary: Sirius Black - heartthrob, rebel, outcast, and all around troublemaker. Not an ideal Potions partner. Especially not for Daniella Wilson - reserved, cautious, awkward and all around law-abiding citizen. Add to that raging hormones, nefarious dorm mates and a part of the universe that clearly had something against her, and you have a disaster of a recipe waiting to blow up!
1. Alihotsy & Aconite

**A/N- New story alert! I've almost finished with my other story _Sparking The Loose Canon,_ and I wanted to start off with something smaller and light hearted. Let's see how this goes! **

**Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Mr. Black, Mr. Potter," said Slughorn, digging his hands into his waist coat pockets with a surprising amount of difficulty. "Late again. What are we going to do about the two of you?"

"So sorry, Professor. There was a first year wandering around in search of the Transfiguration classroom. We didn't want him to get detention on the first week back," said James, a grin lighting up his face and he ran a hand through his hair.

"We figured it was time to pull up our socks now that we're in sixth year and all," added Sirius, smirking at James.

A few 'oohs' were heard around the class and a distinct derisive snort coming from the direction of Lily Evans.

"Ah yes, very noble of you both. However," he added, giving them both a knowing look. "This cannot go on. I will, therefore, be assigning you new partners for this class. Mr. Potter, you will be with Ms. McKinnon and Mr. Black, you can work with Ms. Wilson."

James shrugged and moved over to where Marlene was sitting, grinning at her as she rolled her eyes in feigned annoyance. Sirius, on the other hand, frowned slightly, searching the class for where his new partner was sitting. She was near the left corner, tucked away from most of the class, her back leaning against the wall. Sighing to himself, he walked over to where she was sitting.

"Hey," he said, smiling politely. She smiled back but went back to her potions textbook almost immediately. Sirius cursed Slughorn internally. Even though he and Daniella were in the same house, they had barely ever interacted. She was quiet and kept to herself most of the times, sharing her dorm with the rest of the sixth year Gryffindor girls - Lily, Marlene, Dorcas and Mary.

Slughorn gave them instructions and sat back in his chair, indulging in a few glazed pineapples. Sirius felt unbelievably frustrated. He usually relied on James to get through Potions - his least favorite subject. But now, he might actually have to read the chapter and figure out how to not blow up his cauldron in the next hour.

* * *

Daniella felt uncomfortable. She had never expected school heartthrob and resident prankster, Sirius Black, to be assigned as her potions partner. She was very aware of her posture and the occasional glances being thrown in their direction. She hoped that she could avoid talking to him for the most part - he would hopefully be more preoccupied with trying to switch back to James as his partner.

Half an hour into the class, her eyes kept drifting towards his potion. He had been having a little trouble brewing the potion in general, never betrayed by the impeccable fall of his perfectly tousled hair. But now, he was about to accidentally add aconite which he had grabbed instead of alihotsy leaves, and she just couldn't stop herself from blurting out an exclamation.

"Stop!" she whispered. He looked at her in surprise, raising one of his eyebrows lightly. "That's aconite."

He looked at the bottle in his hands and recoiled slightly.

"Shite!" he hissed, quickly putting it away. She pushed some of her alihotsy leaves towards him and he took them with a nod. The rest of the lesson passed more or less uneventfully, barring the small incident where Snape's robes caught fire.

"Dear me, Severus, I really do not understand how this could have happened. You would think that you, of all people, would be least likely to be so extraordinarily clumsy around potions. I mean -"

"Yes, Professor," said Snape with gritted teeth, stopping Slughorn's embarrassing tirade. His eyes wandered towards where James, Sirius and Peter were snickering together. "It is rather unbelievable."

"That was bloody brilliant!" said Peter, guffawing as they exited the dungeons.

"Stellar work, Prongs. You absolutely, dare I say it, smoked him," said Sirius tossing his head back with a bark of laughter.

"Bad luck on the potions partners, though," said Peter, recovering himself slightly. "Especially you, Padfoot. You're stuck with Wilson."

"She's alright," said Sirius, with a shrug. "Decent, actually."

"And I lucked out with Marls," grinned James. "All Quidditch all day for me!"

"Oy! Move your arse, Potter!"

"Need a better view, Lupin?" said James, grinning at his sandy haired friend.

"McGonagall is going to lose her shit if we're late again," said Remus, looking slightly exasperated. Only slightly though.

"I don't want detention this week! That Ravenclaw fifth year agreed to study with me!' whined Peter.

"Our little boy's growing up," said Sirius, wiping a fake tear. "Pettigrew, the Player!"

"Wormtail the Womanizer!" said James, enthusiastically.

"Not the direction we were going in," said Sirius, scratching his chin. "What about…"

"Potter the Prepubescent?" said Lily, passing by swiftly and leaving James with a moony eyed look on his face.

"Nice one, Evans! Great alliteration!' shouted Sirius, after her.

"Fuck off, Black," she said, not turning around.

"I love her," said James with a sigh.

"So what's new? I'm more interested in Wormy's girl. When did it happen? What exactly happened?" said Sirius, leaning towards Peter eagerly.

"We are definitely getting detention," groaned Remus.

* * *

"Hey Dany," said Marlene, placing her books on the table. She tossed her golden curls over her shoulder and slipped off her pullover.

"Marly," said Daniella in acknowledgment. She hoped that McGonagall would be slightly late for class. She was still proofreading the assignment that was due that day.

"What did Sirius say?"

Dany had to admit that she had impeccable control over her limbs because Marlene's question almost made her jerk her hand out and spill the ink bottle all over her parchment. Instead, she continued reading, her eyes no longer registering what they were going over.

"Nothing."

"Oh…"

She sounded kind of disappointed. Why was she disappointed? It's not like Sirius hadn't said anything to _her_. In fact, if she remembered correctly, she was good friends with Sirius and James. Quidditch being their main topic of discussion. Hence, the surprise at her disappointed tone.

"But you ha-"

"Good morning class," said McGonagall, a very pronounced vein pulsing on her forehead. "I'm sorry to have been delayed. However, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew will not be joining us for class today. They are helping Mr. Filch put away a dozen suits of armor without the use of their wands." She placed four wands on her desk and proceeded to begin the lesson.

"Not Remus as well," groaned Lily from behind Marlene and Dany. "He's a Prefect for fuck's sake."

"Yeah, but aren't you curious about what they were doing with suits of armor?" whispered Marlene, excitedly.

"Probably duelling," muttered Dany, opening her textbook. Marlene snorted next to her, while Lily pursed her lips together to stop a giggle from escaping.

* * *

"What'd you guys do?" asked Marlene, jumping onto the sofa beside James. "Minnie looked utterly pissed."

"It was Padfoot's idea really," said James, beaming with pride. "We enchanted suits of armor to try and recreate a medieval muggle duel!"

"You're all too kind," said Sirius, with a mock bow.

"I hear no applause," said Lily, giving them a bored look.

"Evans, you're a real heartbreaker. You know that?" said Sirius with a grin.

"Yeah we all know that. Lils is badass. What's new? But! Dany hear actually predicted that you guys got into trouble for duelling! Incredible, right?" continued Marlene excitedly.

Dany felt herself sinking into her chair, hoping that her rather large Ancient Runes book would be enough to hide her face.

"Woah! Nice work, Wilson! Didn't think you had it in you," said James, his voice cheerful and eager. Apparently she needed to get a thicker book. Or seal her mouth during lessons so that she wouldn't comment on these utterly inconsequential matters.

"Wilson! Careful there. You're practically inside that book."

Dany moved the book slightly and saw Sirius looking down at her with a smirk on his face. She tried to manage a smile but it probably came out more as a grimace.

"Come over and sit with us," he continued, gesturing to the sixth year gathering around the fireplace.

"Yeah, Dany! You can read that later. Even Lils hasn't started on that yet," said Marlene from across the room.

"Hey!" said Lily indignantly.

"Lils?" Marlene raised her eyebrows at her redheaded friend.

"Yeah you're right. Dany, even I think it's too early for the midterm assignment," continued Lily, leaning into her seat and glaring at Marlene.

"Umm, sure."

Why did she have to open her mouth like that? Stupid, stupid Dany! This was exactly why she only spoke when spoken to. Initiating conversation always got you into more social interactions. Yuck.

"Dany? Are you okay?" asked Remus. "You look like you swallowed a bottle of Skele Gro."

"Ye-yeah, I'm fine," said Dany, with a smile which, thankfully, didn't become a grimace. Although she felt anything but fine as she watched Sirius Black throw back his head in laughter with one hand on James' shoulder. There was a brief moment of eye contact between them and he grinned at her again. Apparently, this was a new activity he had come across and decided to perform said activity to a saturation point.

Unfortunately, Sirius Black didn't have a very low saturation point. So there she sat, tight smile on her lips, nodding to jokes, avoiding conversation when possible, and starting slightly every time she inadvertently made eye contact with a grey eyed Marauder.

He smiled way too often. Jesus!

* * *

 **What did you think? I'm always an OC writer unfortunately. Check out my other story for more Sirius and Marauder happenings. Please leave a review for me!**

 **Cheers xxx**


	2. Attention! Attention!

**A/N- Back with chapter 2! This story isn't going to be very long lol. So don't worry if things move at a different pace to my other stories.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Dany wasn't fond of breakfast. She wasn't a fast eater. She needed her time while she ate. Which meant that she had to wake up early in order to do that. And that was a pain. Especially with chipper, cheery face Lily Evans sleeping next to her.

"They should have a spell for this," grumbled Dany, rubbing her eyes as Lily helped herself to some bacon. "Waking up without wanting to be swallowed by a bear."

"Fascinating breakfast topic," said James, sitting down opposite them, a grin adorning his face as always. "Why haven't we spoken much before now, Wilson?"

"Uh…" Dany smiled uncertainly, not knowing if he was being genuine. The four boys were well known pranksters and she always took everything they said with a grain of salt. Or a heaping tablespoon.

"Bugger off, Potter," snapped Lily, buttering a piece of toast. She almost didn't need to look at him, the words just popped out whenever he was around. Impressive reflexes, really.

"Looking lovely as always, Evans," continued James, as if the girl he was addressing hadn't even bothered to look at him before snubbing him.

"The wait is over! I'm finally here," came a loud voice from behind them. Sirius grinned at James, Remus following with an amused shake of his head. "Did you miss me?"

Dany watched the others laugh and joke freely amongst themselves and felt a twinge of envy. She had never been able to effortlessly blend into a conversation and manage to say clever, funny things. Not that she minded being quiet and uninvolved, but it was just something so far from her capabilities that she often wondered how so many people seemed to be good at it.

These were also times when she felt hopelessly inadequate. Lily was brilliant and vivacious, James was charming and good at almost everything, Sirius was suave and far too handsome to be real, Remus was unruffled and witty, and Marlene was gorgeous and athletic.

The sorting hat was far too biased. Placing all the exceptional talents in Gryffindor, creating a definite disbalance of power in the house dynamics. No wonder the Slytherins hated them.

She, herself, never really felt like she belonged in Gryffindor. Maybe Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. The latter definitely seemed a House for introverts. She wasn't nearly sharp enough to be a Slytherin, thank Merlin!

Her attention was brought back to the table when she saw James trying to stuff all the bacon strips inside Sirius' mouth. Apparently, this was some sort of great display of their utter daredevilness?

"Dorks," muttered Dany under her breath, and beside her she heard Remus snort and promptly choke on his pumpkin juice with a few coughs.

"Whaz ron, Mooey?" asked Sirius, his mouth still full of bacon.

"Other than the extremely unattractive sight of you chewing on an entire week's bacon?" answered Remus, having recovered fully.

"Woah there, Lupin! What's with the third degree?" said Sirius, gasping in horror.

"I'm pretty certain you're using that wrong, Black," said Lily, flicking her wand and removing the bacon stains from his shirt.

James pouted in his best friend's direction, but Sirius just barked out a laugh. Once again, Dany felt incredibly out of place. Quickly cramming the last bit of toast into her mouth, she excused herself and started walking in the direction of Charms.

She hadn't been walking more than a couple of minutes when she heard someone running to catch up with her. It was Raging Redhead - Lily Evans.

"Dany! Wait up!" she yelled, quickly covering her mouth when the sound echoed through the corridor. "Have you reviewed the spellwork Professor Flitwick asked us to do?"

"Yup?" Dany looked at Lily a little quizzically. Lily had seen her working on the review only last night. Why was she asking her such a redundant question?

"Just play along," she hissed, lowering her voice. "Otherwise I'll have to walk with Potter and co."

Or you could just walk on your own and ditch Potter and co. Independence, freedom, no ownership - all that shit.

"Sure."

"Merlin! He's so persistent sometimes. Just because I walk with them sometimes, doesn't mean I want to do it always!" she said exasperatedly. "And even when I do walk with them its because of Remus."

"That's alright, Lily. You can walk with me," said Dany with a slight laugh. The redhead sighed in relief, looking a little embarrassed at her own antics.

Dany loved Charms. It wasn't as if Flitwick was a fascinating teacher. He was good, slightly boring at times, and far too lenient. Which is why 'Potter and co.' as Lily had so beautifully put it, usually resorted to pulling all kinds of pranks during his classes.

And today, they had decided to bother some of the Slytherins. Particularly, Snape, Avery and Mulciber. James and Sirius had charmed their quills to replace every 'd' with an 'f'. It was brilliant really, considering that today's was a theory lesson on how to silence a duck.

Dany could see their faces turn purple with rage and frustration, scratching out parts of their essay and glaring at James and Sirius. Lily noticed this exchange and rolled her eyes dramatically. Normally, she might have threatened James, but after her falling out with Snape, she seemed less inclined to reprimand the four boys for their pranks.

Needless to say, there was some backlash after the lesson. Snape and Avery had rushed out after James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, their wands gripped firmly in their hands. Mulciber had fallen behind, so he pushed past whoever was in front of him, naturally, managing to knock Dany into the wall and completely winding her.

"Watch it, Mulciber!" yelled Marlene, glaring at his large figure. He paid no heed, joining his friends as they prepared to engage in a fight with the four Gryffindor boys.

It was rather predictable. There were hexes hurled about, insults traded, Mulciber was disarmed and hung by his ankle, Peter got hit by a Stinging Jinx, and finally, McGonagall handed them all one week of detention.

"You'd think they'd be a little more innovative," complained Marlene, with a sigh. "I mean, it's basically the same insults being used. I'd be embarrassed to be seen using names I'd used in second year."

"That's not fair, Marly!" exclaimed James, looking mortified. "We're plenty innovative!"

"Not from where I was standing," said Lily, almost nonchalantly. James gaped at her for a moment before launching a tirade on how they had evolved as pranksters and tormentors of Slytherins in the past five years.

Dany couldn't help but chuckle at the conversation. James was kind of sweet. In a weird way. And he had a huge crush on Lily. Which was probably why he kept trying to get her attention like that.

"You okay, there?"

Dany was jerked out of her thoughts by someone walking beside her. She turned and saw Sirius, looking at her with a grin.

"Huh?"

"I'm asking if you're okay. I mean, after getting bodyslammed by Mulciber."

"Oh." For some reason, her brain had lost touch with her vocal chords. It was a full 30 seconds later that she nodded her head and laughed nervously. "I'm fine. Just startled me, mainly."

"That's good," said Sirius. "Wouldn't want anything happen to my incredible Potions partner, now, would I?"

"Yeah," said Dany with a slight laugh, trying to mask how awkward she felt. Not to mention that her cheeks had started coloring.

"I'll catch you later, Wilson," said Sirius, with a wave, one hand in his pocket while the other ran through his hair.

"Mm hmm," was all that she managed.

* * *

"Dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny!"

Dany swung open the curtains of her four poster, staring wearily at an extremely excited Marlene. She was practically bouncing up and down. Actually, she was definitely bouncing up and down.

"Marls…?" she replied with nowhere near as much enthusiasm.

"Do you wanna go to Hogsmeade?"

Clearly something had addled her brain. Otherwise, why would she be talking about a trip that was almost two months away.

"Sure. But Halloween's a bit far off, don't you think?"

"Who cares about Halloween? I want to know whether you want to go to Hogsmeade NOW, silly!"

"Now?!"

"Yes! Merlin! Were you sleeping? Is that why you're so slow all of a sudden?" she said exasperatedly. "The guys are heading there and Lily 'Secret-badass-motherfucker' Evans, agreed to go with them. Dorcas and Mary are studying somewhere, so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to come with. So, do you?"

"Uh..." Marlene's expression was quite intense, so Dany swallowed carefully before replying in the affirmative. "Sure."

"Great! Come on!" she said, pulling her out of bed and down the stairs into the common room.

Dany flushed slightly at the sight of James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Peter, all chatting amongst themselves until she and Marlene came bounding down the stairs.

"Alright! McKinnon!" yelled James. "Let's gooooooo!" He flung one arm around her and the other around Sirius. Sirius followed suit and flung his arm around James and the other around Remus. And Remus did the same for Peter. That left Lily and Dany, and the glare that Lily was sending Marlene meant that there would be no arm flinging for her.

"How they manage to get away with all of this is beyond me," muttered Lily, although a smile threatened to break out onto her face.

"It's a talent, I think," said Dany, giggling at the sight of James and Sirius singing completely out of tune. "A talent for trouble."

It was rather odd that they hadn't bumped into Filch or any Prefect or teacher so far. But then again, Dany had long since given up on trying to figure out the tricks of the Marauders.

"And now children," said James, ruffling his own hair for Merlin knows what purpose. "Welcome to the big leagues."

"They're studying about television in Muggle Studies," explained Remus.

"Ah," said Dany, chuckling at how ridiculous all this seemed. This was not her. She wasn't popular. She didn't hang out with charismatic, beautiful people. And she most definitely did not break rules and sneak out of school after hours.

"It's nice to see you out here, Ms. Wilson," said Sirius, adopting a hilarious posh tone. Hilarious because he already sounded extremely posh, but the added effort just made him sound like a parody. He bowed gracefully and then grinned at her.

"Whatever are you doing with my good friend Dany?" yelled James, jumping beside Dany and linking his arm with her. "Perchance trying to steal a trick or two to help you with your utterly devious scheme to rule the Apothecary world?"

The theatricality of it all just made Dany laugh more. Sirius and James didn't break character, continuing the bizarre act that they had begun. Soon Marlene had joined them as well. Peter was quick to follow. Finally Remus and Lily obliged as well, engaging in a hilarious sketch of Merlin knows what.

Through it all, Dany couldn't keep her laughter and excitement in check. It was exhilarating to keep up with the boys, Marlene and Lily. She felt almost invincible, her words becoming more confident as time went on. The flush on her cheeks also grew because she was so unused to this kind of attention. It was flattering, really. James and Sirius were the most popular boys in school. Remus, although quiet, was also very attractive and intelligent.

Dany felt strangely happy. And a little anxious as they trooped back to Hogwarts, loaded with sweets and alcohol.

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	3. To Party Or Not To Party?

**A/N - Yay! Another chapter! Trying to go for light hearted comedy. Not sure how I'm faring tho... Anywho, give it a read!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The morning of a Quidditch match is always very exciting. It's not just about the charged atmosphere, the various banners or even expectations for the House Cup. It was surrounding the players and their dynamics with the rival team. Namely - Gryffindor and Slytherin.

James Potter was the typical Gryffindor - charming, extroverted and confident. His counterpart - Lucinda Talkalot - very much belied her name. She was formidable, cold and clinical in her tactics. Opposites who were well matched. Sirius Black versus Regulus Black - brother vs brother - the classic family feud. Marlene McKinnon - the only female Keeper at Hogwarts - up against the literal bulk of Slytherin house in the form of Macnair, Nott and Carrow.

With such a great bunch of battles lined up, what, you might wonder, is so great about the first, and highly neglected, meal of the day. There would inevitably be a hex or two which would start the goings and then things would escalate.

"Ooh… Snape just got Bat Bogey-ed," said Dorcas, looking over the top of Lily's head.

"He's not even on the team," said Mary.

"When has that ever stopped those two wankers?" said Lily, never looking up from the paper.

"Hmm, you're righ- Damn! Mulciber just grew antlers!" said Mary, standing up to get a better glimpse.

"Let's not forget the charming dentals on our lovely Seeker," chimed in Dorcas.

Dany managed to see exactly badly Bertram Aubrey had been hit before McGonagall crashed the party, threatening detention and then suspension if anyone continued indulging in 'baboon-ish' behavior.

"We're heading down to the bleachers now. You lot coming?" said Remus, stopping by their seats.

"If we didn't, Marls would kill us," snorted Dorcas.

* * *

"That was a massacre!" yelled James, holding up his red cup. "No need for Filch, because we WIPED THE FLOOR WITH THOSE SNAKES!"

Dany pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at a very drunk James and his horrifying alcohol induced humor. Next to her, she could have sworn that Lily had turned her snort into half cough-half sneeze. Even piss drunk and slightly more obnoxious than usual, James Potter was very attractive.

On the other end of the room, she could see Remus trying to stop a well sloshed Peter Pettigrew from throwing up on a passed out fifth year.

"Charming," she muttered to no one in particular.

"Pete usually has that effect on people."

She jumped slightly, startled by the low voice next to her. Sirius grinned and handed her a red cup filled with a potent looking liquid.

"Er… I don't drink," she said, almost apologetically.

He stared at her for a second before shrugging and downing the contents himself. "No point in wasting is, right?"

"I guess not," she said, still unsure of how to continue the conversation. Even after being assigned as his Potion's partner, she was still unused to having him talk to her like this. It made her very self-conscious.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why don't you drink?" he asked, trying to take the pressure off of her by looking around the common room.

"Oh, er… I don't like how it tastes. Or smells."

He turned to her suddenly, as if he had realised something extremely important. Dany flushed at the focused attention and immediately dropped eye contact. "That's a very valid point. Makes me wonder what I find so attractive about it."

She was lost for words, wondering if this was a rhetorical question. Would she sound like an utter idiot if she answered?

"I think it's the momentary feeling of invincibility it provides," he continued, with a small grin. "Here, Butterbeer for your pleasure." He handed her a foaming mug from a nearby table.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at him.

"Cheers!" They clinked glasses, or rather paper cup and plastic mug - which really didn't have the same effect. But all that was drowned by the cheering and music as the clock slowly inched its way towards midnight.

* * *

"I feel like we've had too many parties recently," mumbled Lily. "17 in the last month is way too many to be considered respectable."

"Aw come on, Evans! Sixth year! Let's live a little! Merlin knows we won't be able to when you and Moony become Heads," said Sirius, digging his hands into his leather jacket.

"Didn't know you could predict the future, Padfoot," said Remus with a snort. "Does Twambly know?"

"Because I would love to see the expression on his face when he finds out that Sirius Orion Black III, _of the Noble and most Ancient House of Black, has the Gift of Sight! I look forward to chatting with you over a cup of tea, Mr. Black!_ " said James, providing an uncanny imitation of their slightly odd Divination teacher.

"He _smells_ of tea. Not the regular sort either. Like something terribly frilly and suffocating," said Sirius with a grimace.

"Frilly tea? Didn't know they were making that flavor these days," said Dany, trying to keep a straight face. "Any idea where I can get myself some of that, Sirius?"

"Doilied Darjeeling!" said James, snorting at the gobsmacked look on his best friend's face.

"Crocheted Chamomile," added Peter, excitedly.

Soon, a huge array of frilly teas had been named and ridiculed, before they finally reached Zonko's. Lily and Remus separated from them to look over some books at Tomes and Scrolls. James and Marlene shot of to buy supplies for the annual Gryffindor Halloween party, which meant that Dany was left with Peter and Sirius.

Which was not at all awkward. With Peter fumbling to start a conversation, he naturally jumped to the topic of how hairy Flitwick's eyebrows were.

"As compared to the rest of him, I mean," he clarified, when Dany gave him a questioning look. "He's going bald. Not to mention-"

"Pete! I think James is calling you!" interrupted Sirius, giving his friend a nudge in a random direction.

"Well, I'd say the award for the worst conversation starter goes to our boy Pettigrew. Honestly, he can be so daft about things," said Sirius, slightly (only slightly, mind you) apologetically.

"Well, not everyone is blessed with 'casual elegance'," she said, rolling her eyes. He raised his left eyebrow in amusement. "Locker talk. You hear all kinds of crap in the girls' bathroom."

"I'm intrigued. Any obsessive stalkers I need to be aware of? People waiting to jump me in the corridor?" he asked with a smirk.

"I think you are the last person who'd be 'jumped' in the corridor," she said with a snort, then realising the implications of her statement, coloring slightly. "No-not that you aren't 'jump-able', I mean, well… I'm sure a lot of people… You just wouldn't be taken by surprise…"

She trailed off, feeling very hot under the collar as she tried to avoid Sirius' amused stare. Damn his attractive irises and charming, yet effortless, body language!

"Hello hello! We're good to go! Halloween '76 is going to be lit!' said James, slinging his arm around Sirius' shoulder.

" _Lit_?" asked Remus, who had also appeared along with Lily.

"It'll catch on," said James with a wink.

* * *

"That stain is going to be a nightmare to get rid off," said Dorcas, sniffing in disgust as Peter threw up all over Remus. "I'd change out of that if I were you, Remus!"

Remus sneered at the guffawing group of sixth year girls before pushing Peter onto James and stalking off to their dorm.

"Ooh! Remus just sneered! Someone's going to have a Dungbomb in their bed tonight!" sang Marlene, clearly having had her share (not to mention the entire sixth year's share) of alcohol.

"I think I'll go and help James. As much as it pleases me to watch him flounder in desperation, I don't think I can stand to smell any more of Peter's vomit on all the upholstery," said Lily, scrunching up her nose in disgust. She rolled up her sleeves and quickly made her hair into a bun, before marching off in the direction of a very buzzed James and an extremely volatile Peter.

"This just got interesting. Where's the popcorn?" Marlene threw her cup over her head and ran off after Lily. Dorcas quickly followed when Marlene tripped on her own two feet, stopped, bowed and apologised to a 'Mr. Stebbins'.

Once again, Dany began feeling oddly out of place. Merlin! Why did all these gatherings need to depend so heavily on alcohol to foster amusement? It was almost discriminatory in that sense.

She did, however, briefly ponder the merits of seeking out Sirius and hanging out with him for a bit. Her heart fluttered a wee bit as she recalled their recent conversations. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea…

She scanned the room in search of a head of shaggy black hair and an air of absolute confidence. She soon found him near the fireplace, leaning one arm on the wall and the other running through his perfectly tousled hair. He was talking to a sixth year Ravenclaw, who was standing a little too close for being a mere acquaintance. Dany's stomach clenched uncomfortably as she slowly took in the scene before here.

Her brain was yelling at her to abort the mission and run before she saw something she regretted, but her legs felt particularly sadistic and refused to budge.

Of course, there was a short circuit as Sirius and the Ravenclaw started snogging, providing Dany with an unnecessarily vivid image of the event before she finally raced back to her dorm.

That night, she realised that she didn't need excessive alcohol to make her through up. Although, she was definitely not going to wake up with a terrific hangover. Which could not be said for Marlene, as Lily and Dorcas flung her onto her own bed. Dany's curtains were drawn, but for once she was glad that she could hear the exasperated noises of her roommates.

* * *

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	4. Hair Insurance & Snog-Potential

**A/N- Another chapter! Woo hoo!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The common perception of Sirius Black was-

"Sirius Black is flawless!" Gryffindor 5th year.

"He has two platinum quills and a Nimbus 1980!" Ravenclaw 6th year.

"I hear his hair is insured for 10,000 Galleons!" Ravenclaw 7th year.

"I heard he does broom commercials. In Japan!" Gryffindor 7th year.

"His favorite band is Led Zepplin." Hufflepuff 5th year.

"He once met Celestina Warbeck at the station!" Hufflepuff 7th year.

"And she told him he was fit!" Hufflepuff 7th year's friend.

"One time, he punched me in the face. It was awesome!" Slytherin 7th year.

In reality, he was just trying to have fun. And that involved a lot of pranks with James, Peter, and occasionally Remus. He tried his best to avoid anything related to his family and his horrendous childhood. Which usually meant more pranks and detentions. Between that and quidditch practice, he didn't get much time to look at girls or get involved in a relationship.

Not that he wasn't interested. It was just that it wasn't as important as his friends or quidditch or…

"Who'd you hook up with last night?"

Sirius turned to James who was trying his best to separate a pair of… socks?

"Umm… Don't really remember her name. And we didn't really hook up. Just snogged for a bit and then - What in Merlin's name are you doing, Prongs?" he asked as James pulled the socks apart with all his strength, lost his balance and fell off the bed.

"Don't shoot me..." muttered Peter, awoken by the sudden noise and then rolling over and snoring again.

"S-sorry 'bout that," said James, massaging the back of his head. "Blooming socks got bloody knotted up."

"How you manage to stay on a broom is beyond me," said Sirius, standing up and putting on his shirt. "Why'd you ask about me hooking up, then?"

"Just- woah! I think I found Pete's missing box of Sugar Quills- Ugh! It has fluffy green stuff growing on it! Right. Sorry. No more distractions. You usually don't snog people. I mean, not since well, not since the beginning of fifth year."

"Yeah, well, I think I'm finally over her," said Sirius with a shrug. Sirius had dated this very pretty Hufflepuff in their year, Penelope Bronson. He had been completely infatuated with her and she had been his first proper girlfriend, not just a random snog behind a statue. But then they had broken up barely two months after they had started dating. It was Sirius' first heart break.

"Good for you mate! Now I can finally stop spreading those rumors about you," said James, with a grin.

"Absolutely. And by the way, that hair insurance thing was genius!"

"For fuck's sake, would you two SHUT IT!" came Remus' muffled voice from beneath the pillows.

"Moony, what have we talked about?" said James, tying his tie properly.

"You're a werewolf not a-" prompted Sirius, waiting for Remus to complete the sentence. Instead the sandy haired Marauder waved his wand and pulled the carpet away from underneath both their feet, causing an almighty crash as the two boys fell over dramatically.

"Merlin, remind me to keep the alcohol away from him next time," said Sirius, sitting down at the Gryffindor table gingerly. "My arse hurts!"

"What's that about your arse?" asked Marlene, smirking at him.

"Get your head out of the gutter, McKinnon. It's not what you think."

"So you and the boys don't get frisky after a few drinks?" asked Marlene, biting back a smirk. "Because that's what we do over at the girl's dorm."

Sirius spluttered into his pumpkin juice while James coughed and gagged on his bacon. It took at least five entire minutes for them to both calm down, by which time Marlene and the girls were in fits.

"Gutter-head strikes again!" said Marlene, high-fiving Lily.

Dany felt her facial muscles strain as she laughed along with the others. Unfortunately, she had to try extremely hard to not let her true emotions show. While she enjoyed all the witty banter and humorous anecdotes, she was also envious of how well Marlene got along with the boys. It was so natural, she didn't have to work towards being her utterly charming self. And she was good at Quidditch, something that Dany had always wanted to take part in.

Just then, an owl flew over their heads and dropped a letter into Dany's lap. From the writing, she could tell that it was her mother.

 _Darling Dany,_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. We miss you terribly, even though you've been at boarding school for more than 5 years now. Your grandmother wanted me to write to you from her as well. She hopes that you finally learn some sort of charm for her hair to stop thinning. I told her that such a thing might not exist, but she's quite stubborn about all of this._

 _Your father is rather busy at the Ministry at the moment but has informed me that we might have a few relatives over this weekend. I will let you know about the horror of it all in my next letter._

 _With all my love,_

 _Mum._

 _P.S. I've also sent some snacks for you and your friends. Hope it's enough this time._

"Have you guys…" she trailed off as she caught a glimpse of James and Sirius peering into a large blue box on the table. "Oi! That's mine!" She grabbed it away from in front of them, annoyed at their behaviour.

"Blimey! That looked so good," said James, looking at her with wide eyes. "Won't you share, Dany?"

"I was going to! But after you inspected it without my permission, I don't think I will," she said with a huff. Normally, she would have just shared, but something about everyone around her was ticking her off.

"I'm off to Potions," she said, getting up and striding away with, what she hoped wasn't, obvious desperation. Ugh! Sodding annoying perfect Gryffindors!

She waited in Potions for Slughorn to arrive, gazing moodily out of the window. She could see people shuffling into class through the corner of her eye, but didn't bother turning around. Suddenly, she felt something shift beside her as a tall presence settled there.

She looked at him with a rather massive hint of annoyance.

"What? I sit here, remember?" he said with a shrug.

Dany just frowned and opened her book just as Slughorn entered.

* * *

Sirius wasn't sure how or why, but he was definitely sure that Dany was pissed off. He could tell by her stiff body language, subtly clenched jaws and even greater lack of conversation. Not to mention her eyes. Merlin. If anyone ever said that she was dull and expressionless, they obviously hadn't ever looked at her eyes.

They were currently glowering, at Sirius, her textbook, Slughorn and the Ravenclaw in front of them who had had the misfortune of turning around and asking for a quill.

He didn't know her too well but he was sure that the incident with her package from home during breakfast hadn't been the only cause of her irritation. But then, he didn't really know what to do in this situation.

He looked over at James, who was chatting with Marlene and shooting glances at Evans. That little bugger had no troubles at all sometimes.

Not usually known for his wise decisions, Sirius decided to let her be. He'd figure out some way to cheer her up later. Poking a seething Dany didn't seem like a wise decision. Especially surrounded by various potions and flaming cauldrons.

* * *

Dany was very aware of the fact that Sirius kept shooting her glances now and then. Somehow that pissed her off even more. Why the hell was he doing that? He didn't give a rat's arse two nights ago when he had his tongue down that girl's throat.

Potions ended and she shot off again, hopefully managing to avoid any enthusiastic red and golds. Slipping into a dark corner, she waited for everyone to leave and then tiptoed back towards the dungeons. Fortunately for her, she was able to find exactly who she was looking for.

"Dany?"

She grinned at him- her childhood friend, next door neighbour and Slytherin 7th year Scott O'Brien. He looked a little amused by her expression and shook his head softly.

"Just came to see you," she said, giving him a hug. "Haven't really talked since we came back this year. How's Liam?"

"Spiffing," he replied with a grin. "Lucky bastard gets to tour the country and play Quidditch at the same time!" Scott's older brother, Liam was the Keeper for Ballycastle Bats and had been for the past year or so.

"So what's up, Dany? You generally don't greet people with such enthusiasm unless something's bothering you," he said with a chuckle when she gasped indignantly.

"I'm not a Gryffindor," she said with a sigh.

"Your uniform begs to differ. Sorry, no. What's this about?"

"Well…" and she poured out everything that had happened recently, starting with her being partnered with Sirius right upto her flaring irritation that day.

"Not sure why I'm so irritated though. I mean, I'm not the person who always needs to be at the center of attention. So why?" she asked, sighing heavily into the damp November air.

"I think you like all of them," said Scott with a small smile. "And you don't want to be rejected. In any way. But since you aren't naturally extroverted, you feel like that'll be a problem. But," he stopped and poked her shoulder, "it won't. And if it does, then they weren't worth it."

"Damn, O'Brien! How're you so good at this?" she asked with a laugh. "But thanks. And I know it seems like I only talk to you when I'm having some sort of personal crisis, but you know that's not true right?"

"Of course not. And I'll take my payment in Ice Mice, thanks."

"I'll be sure to stock up on that this weekend," she said, grinning and giving him one more hug. "Thanks, Scott."

* * *

"Someone's looking chipper!"

Lily rolled her eyes as James jumped up from his seat and walked over to Dany. "Honestly, Potter. Have you ever heard of the term 'subtlety'?" she asked with a scoff.

"Aw, don't be like that, Evans!" he said, slinging an arm around Dany's shoulder, making her stiffen slightly. "Dany's a mate! No need to tiptoe around mates!"

"Yes, her grimace just screams excitement," said Lily, rolling her eyes once again.

"Oi Lils! They'll roll into the back of your head if you keep doing that," said Marlene with a grin. Lily glared at her friend and threw the nearest thing within her reach. Which just happened to be Peter's half eaten cheese sandwich.

Marlene easily dodge it and it ended up smacking Remus on the side of his head. "Wrong move, Evans!" she said with a grin.

Lily looked mortified. "I am so sorry, Remus," she said, covering her mouth with her hand.

"That's fine, Lily," he said with a reluctant smile. "Unfortunately, I've had my fair share of sandwich attacks living in the same dorm as these three." He pointed at James, Sirius and Peter. Lily's eyes immediately flared up.

"You! This is all _your_ fault!" she said, marching towards James who immediately let go of Dany and backed away.

"Normally, I'd agree. But Evans-"

Dany chuckled to herself as she watched Lily yell at James, her face matching her hair, while James, a good few inches taller than her, looked like a frightened deer.

"Evans really has a way with words, doesn't she?" said Sirius, sitting down on the arm of the sofa she had settled into.

Dany flushed slightly, something that she had taken to doing a lot these days. "Yeah, well, James does seem to bring out the best in her."

"Prongs has a gift. That's all I can say," he said with a slight smirk. After a few moments, she could feel his eyes on her, but remained resolutely focused on the speck of dirt on her shoe. "You aren't going to subject me to more silent glares, are you?"

Again with the flush! Honestly, what was her problem? Or maybe it was his damn voice, all low and melodious. Could he sing well? No! That wasn't important!

"No."

"Good." Once again they lapsed into silence. Lily had finally calmed down and was helping Remus clean his shirt. James, on the other hand, had an extremely moony eyed look on his face as Marlene shoved his shoulders in irritation.

"Because I rather like talking to you."

Oh Merlin. Dany would have given anything for a blackout at this point just so that Sirius wouldn't be able to see how red her face had become. She dared not look at him, knowing that her ruddy transparent expressions would definitely subject her to intense mortification.

"Dany!" Oh thank heavens for Marlene McKinnon and her complete inability to gauge situations. "You know what I think?"

"What?" said Dany, letting go of a breath she hadn't been aware that she had been holding.

"Lilykins secretly has the hots for our dear captain," she said with a grin.

"Huh?" The question was more of disbelief rather than incomprehension.

"Has the hots for? Thinks he's fit? Finds him delectable? Would snog the pants off of hi-"

"No, no. I know what you mean. But what? Why would you think that?" said Dany, genuinely bewildered.

"He's the only one she snaps at so often. And she gets far too worked up about stupid things. Like today for instance."

"I don't know…"

"I'm right. You'll see. I can always tell with these things. People reaching shag-point, developing snog-potential, etc."

"Lovely, McKinnon," said Sirius with a smirk. Dany had almost forgotten that he was still there. "I propose we test out this theory of yours."

"You're on, Black! 5 Galleons says that they'll end up snogging at Hogsmeade this weekend!" said Marlene, her eyes glinting in excitement.

"Marls, I don't thi-"

"Oh hush, Dany! What do you say?"

"Deal. The three of us will keep an eye on the lovely couple during the trip."

"Three of us?" said Marlene, looking slightly confused. "You mean Remus? Or Peter?"

"I mean Wilson over here." Dany whipped her head around to see him smirking at her quite deviously.

"Wh-what? No!"

"Oh come on, Dany! It'll be fun! Plus, when Sirius loses, I'll buy you chocolates from Honeydukes!"

"But I-"

"And when McKinnon loses, I'll buy you a Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks," said Sirius, running a hand through his hair and tousling it perfectly. He got up and walked towards the boys' dorms, turned briefly and shot them both a wink.

"Bugger," muttered Dany as Marlene threw a cushion at Sirius.

* * *

 **Okay, so there was a very glaring reference in this chapter. Anyone who can point it out gets to suggest a scene for the Hogsmeade** **chapter! So review it up, people!**

 **Cheers!**


	5. High Spirits Never Hurt Anyone

**A/N- I am on a roll! Woo! Okay, so this chapter is a little crazy but just go with it. This is supposed to be lighthearted and humorous.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Bugger. I can't believe I lost."

Dany rolled her eyes as Marlene huffed dramatically. "Yes, because Lily's fiery insults compounded with James' inappropriate jokes just screams sexual tension."

"Stuff it, Dany. You didn't just lose 5 gold ones. Anyway, I'm off to find Dorcas and Mary. You two have a good time," she said, waving and running off towards Honeydukes.

Which meant that Dany was once again alone with Sirius. Great. Here come the face flushes.

"I owe you a Butterbeer," he said, smirking at no one in particular. "Let's go."

Dany couldn't wrap her head around what was happening. She was going to The Three Broomsticks with Sirius Black. Alone. These were very date-like conditions. With Sirius Black. That was enough to make her want to throw up her breakfast.

"You alright there, Wilson?" asked Sirius, taking off his leather jacket as they sat down. "You don't look too good."

"I-I'm fine. I just, umm, breakfast was pretty heavy today," she said.

"Really? You just had a slice of toast though," he said, tilting his head to one side with a slight upward curl of his lips.

"Oh- that's, well… Oh Merlin!"

Sirius chuckled slightly as she went red and picked up the flask of Butterbeer. If she thought that she had been mortified before, she was sorely mistaken.

"Look, Wilson," he said stretching back into his chair. "I get it. This kinda seems like a date and that's freaking you out. No, no, let me finish. While I've never had this feeling myself, I can understand that it's not the best feeling in the world. So how about we look at it like this- you're my new Potions partner. And thanks to you, I haven't blown anything up yet. I mean, that could change, but the important thing is that I'm back to being able to work without Prongs. And this is a thank you. Think of it as a prize for preventing the whole class from being covered in mucus and slime. Instead of house points, it's a Butterbeer on the house!" He grinned at her and she felt slightly more at ease. "Did you see what I did there? With the house thing?"

"I couldn't miss it even it was wearing a tea cosy and dancing to 'Hot Hot Hippogriff'," she said with a small chuckle.

"There we go! Now, why don't you tell me a bit about what you do when you aren't preventing Potions catastrophes and stalking off with delicious homemade food instead of sharing them with your friends," he said, giving her a meaningful look.

Dany snorted into her drink which seemed to please Sirius as well. "Well, umm…" She wasn't used to talking about herself like this. "I, er-"

"Okay, not much of a conversation starter. But! Perhaps you're a good conversation-continuer," he said, stroking his light stubble. "Let's see… do you like Quidditch?"

"I love it!" she said, with a little more enthusiasm than expected. Sirius actually choked on his drink for a minute, before looking at her in amusement.

"Really? How come we haven't talked about it before?"

"No one ever asked," she said with a shrug.

"Now don't make us sound like pompous exclusionists perpetuating social stereotypes," he said with minor indignation.

"Wuh-well, I'm not sure… How do you come up with such ridiculous bullshit?" said Dany, laughing at him.

"Pureblood upbringing, etc. etc."

"Anyway, tell me more, Wilson. I'm intrigued to know your views on our favourite sport," he continued, tousling his hair once again.

"Well, let's see," said Dany, looking thoughtful. "I'm a huge fan of Puddlemere, can't stand Edward Marchand, and oh! The rules are unfair because they undermine all positions except the Seeker."

"Marchand is a dick. Not sure why the Bats still play him. But Puddlemere? Seriously? When's the last time they finished in the top 4?"

"Oh please! A few poor seasons doesn't take away from a stellar team. Form is temporary, class is permanent!" She finished with a huff.

"Oh come on, Wilson. There comes a time when you just have to count your losses and move on. Face it, Puddlemere are crap."

"Oh? And who do you support?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"The Arrows, of course," he said, taking another lazy swig from his flask.

"Typical," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me? Are you judging my choice in Quidditch teams?" he asked, highly amused.

"You've left me no choice, unfortunately."

"Fine. You're entitled to your opinion and I'm to mine. Let's leave it at that," he said with a smirk. "Cheers, Wilson!"

She clinked flasks with him, feeling her cheeks flush once again. Bugger.

* * *

Dany walked into the dorm, feeling slightly lightheaded and more than a little excited. Her day with Sirius had gone off very well. They had spent most of the time talking about Quidditch, which had been close to three hours.

However, the dorm wasn't exactly in the same shape she had left it in. Lily, Marlene and Dorcas were sitting on Mary's bed, slightly pink in the face and giggling deliriously.

"Wotcher!" she said, taking off her coat. "Where's Mary? Woah!" She almost toppled over seeing Lily barely an inch away from her and smelling like…

"Firewhiskey?" asked the redhead, offering her an innocent bottle.

"Lils, I think you're drunk," said Dany with a slight laugh.

"NO! I'm _happy_! You know why?" she asked, leaning in towards Dany even more.

"I'm sure you'll tell me…" said Dany trying not to fall over as she leaned away from a very excited Lily.

"Because I didn't have to see Potter today!"

"Lily you liar," said Marlene, standing up and tripping over Dorcas. "You fought with him in the morning! I remember because I lost 5 Galleons because of you! Woah, what're you doing down there, Dorcas?"

Dorcas giggled on the floor, hugging a pair of socks close to herself. "I love you."

"Right… I'm going to take a shower now," said Dany, slightly creeped out by Dorcas' sock-lovin'.

"Nooooooooooooooo!"

Lily jumped up and hugged Dany, Marlene following suit but only succeeding in throwing them all off balance. "Marls! Be careful! You'll hurt Mr. Stebbins!" gasped Lily, still holding on to Dany.

Who in the world was Mr. Stebbins anyway?

"Dannnnnnnnnnnnny! Don't go! Have a sip with us! It tastes sooooooooooo good!" said Marlene.

"Marls, I really don't-"

"Please Dannnnnnnnnnnny! We're your friends, aren't we?" she asked, pouting.

"Oh alright," said Dany, rolling her eyes. But Marlene was now busy talking to Mr. Stebbins again who had miraculously fallen over again.

"Woohooooooooooo! Oops." Lily covered her mouth with her hand, looking at the clock which had broken after she had knocked it off the desk.

Dany knew she was going to regret this, but today had been an unusual day and she felt a tiny bit invincible. Perhaps today was the day to give Firewhiskey another shot.

Exactly an hour later, the Great Hall was packed for dinner. Except for four 6th year Gryffindor girls.

"You're crazy, Marls!" said Dorcas, as her friend continued to perform various types of acrobatics. "Crazy fit as well!"

"Yeah!" yelled Lily. "Let's toast to that!"

"Wa-wait. Where's the rest of the Firewhiskey?" asked Dorcas.

"It should be right there! I got 5 bottles!" said Marlene, sitting upright.

"You mean, we finished 5 bottles! Hell yeah!" shouted Dany, rolling over.

"But we never got to toast," said Dorcas, on the verge of tears.

"N-no. Don't cry! I know where we can get some more! The boys always have a few bottles stashed in their dorm!" said Marlene, excitedly sitting on the bed.

"I'm not going there!" yelled Lily.

"But look at Dorcas. She'll be so sad otherwise," said Marlene, leaning her head on Dorcas' shoulder, both of them pouting. Dany couldn't stop the giggle from escaping her lips.

"You're right! We can't let Dorcas be sad! To hell with those boys! Let's get ourselves some Firewhiskey!" screamed Lily, rushing out the door. The others followed, leaving behind an extremely questionable looking dorm of their own.

* * *

Sirius yawned and walked into the dorm. He was a little tired after a day out at Hogsmeade. He definitely needed to work out some more if a measly walk around the village made him this tired. The others had lagged behind, waiting for Remus to finish seeing off the first years.

He shrugged off his leather jacket and was to throw it on his trunk when he noticed something odd on his bed. He moved closer, his wand gripped in his hand as he tried to get a better look at whatever it was.

"Fucking hell!" he hissed, looking at the figure of his Potions partner lying on his bed, completely passed out. She was still in the same clothes as earlier but she smelled distinctly of Firewhiskey. But more importantly, what the hell was she doing in his bed?!

"Oi Padfoot!"

He spun around, hoping to hide her from the others until he figured out exactly what was going on.

"Is that Wilson?" asked Frank, their fifth roommate.

"Wilson? What would Wilson be doing in my bed?" scoffed Sirius.

"We figured she passed out there like the rest of the girls," said Remus, pulling off his sweater vest.

"What?" asked Sirius, extremely bewildered.

"Yup," said Frank, popping the 'p' for emphasis. "Evans, McKinnon and Meadows are all passed out on the stairs. James is practically losing his mind and Peter's trying to stop James from crashing down the stairs himself."

"How'd I miss them?" asked Sirius, frowning at Remus.

"Dunno, Padfoot. You seemed a little preoccupied today," said Remus with a shrug.

"You guys!" said James, bursting in through the door, Peter following and panting heavily. "McGonagall's coming!"

"So?"

"We need to get the girls off the stairs!"

"And then do what? The girls staircase is enchanted, remember?" said Peter, finally regaining his breath.

"We'll keep them here until they wake up. If Minnie catches them, it'll be detention for a month at least. And not to mention no more Hogsmeade trips for any of us!" pleaded James.

"Is this because of your gigantic crush on Evans?" asked Frank, rolling up his sleeves, knowing that arguing would be futile.

"Wh-what? No!" spluttered James. "We don't have time for this, Longbottom! Those girls aren't going to be light as Quaffles, let me remind you!"

"You're right, Prongs," said Remus. "Let's go!"

The five boys were heaving and panting with the weight of the three girls until Remus suggested levitating them.

"Knew we kept you around for a reason, Moony," said James, throwing his friend a wink.

"Stuff it, Prongs. That's about as charming as a drunk gnome," said Remus, slightly disgusted.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," muttered Frank. "Why does this always happen to you guys?"

"When has this happened to us before?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow.

"Well not this exactly. But you guys keep getting into weird shit!"

"I know. It's brilliant!" grinned Sirius.

"Okay, who goes where?" asked Remus, once they were all safely inside.

"Wilson's already on mine," said Sirius with a shrug.

"Evans can take my bed," said James, a little too enthusiastically.

"Sure," snorted Remus. "Pete-" Peter was currently snoring on Remus' bed, just one shoe kicked off in a corner. "Well, my bed's taken."

"Meadows can have mine," said Frank, conjuring a few extra pillows and setting up a makeshift bed beside his own.

"So Marlene gets Pete's," said Remus with a sigh.

All five boys fixed themselves places to sleep, while the girls and Peter snored away blissfully.

"They are not going to be pleased in the morning," muttered Remus, casting Muffliato around his sleeping area.

Sirius chuckled and laid down on his temporary bed. The morning was going to be very interesting indeed.

* * *

Dany felt sick. Her head ached like crazy and she could smell the disgusting stench of Firewhiskey from somewhere near her. Groaning heavily, she reached for her bedside table to check the time. Her hand searched around for a bit before landing on an unfamiliar piece of clothing. She picked it up and brought it closer to see what it was. A Led Zepplin tshirt. A grey Led Zepplin tshirt. A grey Led Zepplin tshirt that Sirius had worn to Hogsmeade earlier today.

She shot up in her bed and took in her surroundings which were definitely not that of the 6th year girls dorm.

"Lils?" she started, but somehow managed to fall off the bed. Right onto a solid something.

"What the fuck?" came a hoarse, distinctly male voice. A voice she recognised all too well.

"It's too early for this, Wilson," said Sirius, grumpily, rolling over to face away from her. "Go back to sleep. We'll figure this out in the morning."

Dany felt like she was going to pass out.

"Sirius Orion Black! Wake up before I hex your stupid arse to Romania!" she yelled.

* * *

 **Well...**

 **Please review! xxx**


	6. Loss of Limb Control Will Not Excuse You

**A/N- Back with another chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Padfoot… please take care of _your_ guest's needs," muttered Remus in an annoyed voice, thick with sleep.

Sirius groaned and propped himself up by his elbows. Next to him, smelling far too much like Firewhiskey and sounding eerily like McGonagall was his slightly distraught potions partner.

"Alright, alright," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I'm up. _What_ is so important that it couldn't wait a few more hours?"

"Why in Merlin's name am I in your bed at 3 in the bloody morning?" she hissed, not wanting to wake up everyone else just yet.

"Because you were sloshed out of your mind and passed out on my bed. And being the decent bloke that I am, I didn't throw you out to be caught by McGonagall or the other prefects," he said, rolling his eyes.

Dany spluttered on her words for a moment before everything came crashing back. The Firewhiskey, the trek to the boys' dorm, and then…

"Oh fuck…"

"Don't beat yourself up about it," said Sirius, nudging her shoulder with his. "None of you got caught. Yes, I say none of you because Evans and Marlene are also asleep in our dorm. Get some sleep or that lovely hangover you've so happily invited will make your life so much worse."

She still looked miserable. In fact, she was quite pale. Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Go to sleep, Dany," he said, gently. "It's not as bad as you think." He patted her head softly and she turned to look at him with slightly bloodshot eyes. Finally, she nodded her head slowly and hauled herself up to his bed.

It was a while later, when Sirius was almost asleep, that he heard a soft voice from above him.

"No arse-hexing tonight."

He chuckled and rolled over to the other side.

* * *

The morning had been interesting. Lily had woken up with a terrible headache, seen James sleeping on the floor next to her, flipped out and given him a rather fetching green moustache. Sirius had burst out laughing, causing Lily to turn on him, but obviously, considering Sirius' grace and Peter's misfortune, the Furnunculus Hex hit the blond boy square in the face. Marlene and Dany had taken this opportunity to hook Lily by her elbows and drag her out faster than you could say 'Marauders'.

"Can you die of embarrassment?"

Lily was speaking from underneath her blanket, her green eyes shining brightly.

"Let's see… heart failure, cancer, apparation accidents, the killing curse…" Dorcas counted things off her fingers. "Nope, don't think you can, Lils."

"Well, I disagree."

"Why do you believe death by embarrassment should be an official category now?" asked Dorcas, trying to hide her amusement.

"Because!"

"Because…?"

"I was in his bed!"

" _His_ bed?"

"Yes!"

"You've got to help me out here, Lils. You need to cut down on pronouns. At least until I understand what the fuck you're talking about."

"Allow me," said Marlene, emerging from the bathroom. "Lily is going barmy because she slept the night in James' bed."

"Woah… How did that happen?" asked Dorcas, grinning at her friend.

"It's not what you think!" exclaimed Lily, jumping up and throwing aside her blanket. "We were sloshed and the boys were nice enough to let us crash in their dorm for the night! They all slept on the floor and gave us their beds! Nothing else happened!"

"Exactly," said Marlene, rolling her eyes. "Thanks for pointing that out, Lils. Nice to hear you think so too."

"Wait, what…" Lily sat down, slightly confused by what had happened. Her friends had baited her into admitting that she was overreacting? They were good.

* * *

Sirius was heading down to the Great hall for breakfast when he saw a familiar face approaching him. It was the first year he and James had helped out during the first week of classes. He grinned at the younger boy who looked startled for a moment but then grinned back.

"Found your way around, have you?" asked Sirius, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Had a bit of help," he said, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Padfoot!" yelled James, running over to them. "Hey! You're the kid we helped out in the first week. How's it going? I don't even know your name."

"Michael," said the boy, his Ravenclaw tie tucked neatly into his robes.

"Well, Mike," said James with a grin. "Even though you're a Ravenclaw, we quite like you."

"Well, James," replied the younger boy. "Even though you've spoken to me twice, I'm glad that you like me."

James looked dumbfounded for a moment before he burst into laughter, Sirius following suit. Michael looked quite delighted to have made them laugh. James ruffled the boy's hair and slung a hand over his shoulder, leading them into the Great Hall.

They passed the Gryffindor girls - Lily, Marlene, Mary, Dorcas and Daniella- James pausing to wave at them while Sirius just smirked in their direction.

"Are you friends with them, then?" asked Michael, his voice a little stiff.

"Who? The girls? Yeah!" said James, enthusiastically. "Why?"

"No reason," he replied, surveying them coolly, before nodding and walking over to the Ravenclaw table.

"That was odd," said Sirius with a shrug. "Wonder what that was about."

"It's probably not important," said James, settling down and piling food onto his plate.

"Potter, can you please stop being a neanderthal for one second," said Lily, annoyed by him as usual. "Professor McGonagall wants to see you before Transfiguration today. Don't forget."

James nodded his head dumbly, a goofy smile taking over his face. Sirius snorted and nudged him in the ribs, causing the bespectacled boy to jump violently and splash milk all over Marlene.

"Oh well done, Potter," said Marlene, looking disgusted. She was never one to take things lying down so no one was surprised when she picked up her glass of pumpkin juice and flung it at James. Unfortunately, Peter took this moment to reach out and grab a piece of toast and ended up getting juiced. Naturally there was more retaliation as he flung some scrambled eggs at Marlene but because of his terrible aim, it landed on Dorcas. Dorcas was not really paying attention and yelped as peppery egg mush hit her on the face, her hands dropping the plate she had been holding up which happened to have some very greasy bacon strips on it. What followed was the plate of bacon dropping into the bowl of milk, causing a tidal wave of sorts moving its way towards Dany who had unsurprisingly sharp reflexes as she jerked to her left to dodge the incoming food missile. To her left was one Sirius Black, and due to her unfortunately limited range of reflexes, she ended up bumping into him. Well not so much bumping into him as crashing into his shoulder and having his hands instinctively wrap around her.

"Is it really so difficult for you to get through a meal without causing utter chaos and world destruction?" scoffed Lily, who had very wisely moved away from the scene and was now sitting next to a chuckling Remus.

James looked gobsmacked, the bowl of milk still in his hands as the entire Hall turned to look at the antics at the Gryffindor table. A few people giggled and quite a few cheered. They were more or less used to something or the other happening where the Marauders were concerned.

"You alright there?"

Dany's head shot up at the sound of Sirius' voice so close to her. There was a reason for that. _He_ was very close to her. So close that she could see the slight blue in his grey eyes and the tiny grain of toast clinging to his upper lip. She stayed transfixed in that state, not sure of what to do. Which was strange because it seemed quite logical to just move out of his hold and sit upright as always. But for some reason, her brain seemed to have gone into sleep mode.

Sirius' mouth turned up slightly as he smirked at her, making heat rush to Dany's face. Still no movement though. The longer she stayed in that position, the worse the situation would get. A bit of Sirius' lustrous black hair fell forward onto his face and without thinking, she reached out and brushed it away. Maybe she was imagining it but it felt like he stiffened slightly at the action, his lips parting slightly.

"How long are you two planning on cuddling?" Marlene's voice pierced through with its hint of suggestiveness.

This seemed to reawaken Dany's brain because she immediately twisted out of Sirius' arms, flushing profusely as the others looked at her in amusement. Obviously no one made fun of Sirius because nothing ever seemed to ruffle or embarrass him. Git.

"Excuse me?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow at her. Apparently she had said that last bit out loud.

"Nothing! I-I'm going for Transfiguration!" she said, hurriedly picking up her things and trying to walk as fast as she could without it looking like she was dying to escape.

Marlene looked at Sirius and wiggled her eyebrows but he merely looked after Dany's retreating figure in amusement.

* * *

Sirius walked into Transfiguration, looking for his usual seat next to James. His best friend was nowhere to be seen but then he remembered that he had to go and meet McGonagall before class. Peter and Remus were sitting together and Marlene was sitting next to Evans. He sighed and sat down at one of the empty rows in front of the girls. He yawned lightly, wondering when James would arrive. They hadn't pulled a prank in a long time and he was worried that it would ruin their reputation as Hogwarts' greatest pranksters.

Just then, Wilson walked in, looking slightly flustered, presumably because she thought she would be late. He saw her let out a sigh of relief and scan the room for her usual place next to Evans, but seeing as it had been taken by Marlene, he wasn't surprised when a slight frown creased her forehead. Her eyes moved around the class, scanning potential places to seat and Sirius was delighted to see her eyes widen and cheeks flush as her eyes landed on him. She quickly averted her gaze and started moving towards the other end of the class.

"Dany!"

Evans and Marlene had spotted her and were waving her over.

"Where are you going?" asked Evans.

"Oh… Um, I'm just going to sit down next to Frank," she replied, hastily.

"But Frank is sitting at the other end of the class," said Evans with a frown.

"Yes, but saying as Marls has taken my regular seat," said Wilson, trying to divert the topic slightly.

"So?" said Marlene, shrugging. "Just sit beside Sirius."

"N-no!" she answered a bit too hastily, making Marlene and Evans raise their eyebrows at her. "I-I mean, James will probably want to sit there."

"That's okay. Prongs wouldn't mind sitting next to Frank," said Sirius, really enjoying how flustered she was getting. She turned to look at him with a glare. "Unless you have a problem sitting next to me."

That did the trick. He watched her eyes widen a fraction before she set her books down a bit too heavily on the desk next to him.

"Of course not. I was just looking out for James. But since you clearly don't care about your best friend, I guess it doesn't matter," she said, giving him a challenging look.

"I guess I don't," he said.

"Good. He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Indeed he is."

"Such a fortunate lad."

"I agree."

"Alright."

His smirk increased as she busied herself with her books, the flush not leaving her cheeks.

"Not as lucky as me, though," he whispered, leaning towards her slightly so that only she heard.

Just as he expected, she jerked violently at his proximity and dropped her Transfiguration book on her foot.

"Oi! Dany!" said Marlene. "What's with you today? Have you no control over your limbs?"

"Apparently not," she muttered, sending a dark look in Sirius' direction.

* * *

"So what did Minnie want?" asked Peter. They were all sitting in the common room, too lazy to get up and go up to their dorm. Remus was reading a book. James was busily sketching out a new Quidditch play and Sirius was lounging on the sofa with an odd amount of grace.

"Quidditch stuff," said James, not really looking up from his plans.

Peter looked slightly put out, not knowing how to continue the conversation. He went back to his homework and silence prevailed once again. Sirius yawned once again. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days. James was always occupied with Quidditch or staring at Evans, Remus prefered to study most of the time and Peter had never really been the one to take any initiative.

"What are you lads doing for Christmas?" he asked, twirling his wand expertly.

"I have to go back home," said Peter, looking downcast.

"I'm staying here," said Remus, looking up from his book.

"Prongs?" prompted Sirius, nudging his friend with his foot.

"Huh?" he replied, looking up with a lost look. "Oh right. Umm, I'm staying back as well. Quidditch practice and stuff."

"Looks like I'm staying back as well," said Sirius with a grin. "Pete, you sure you can't swing a turnaround?"

"No. Mum's insisting," he grumbled.

"Bugger. Guess we'll have to plan something spectacular for when you get back."

Peter seemed to brighten up at this statement but that was about all the activity that Sirius managed to get out of his friends. James hadn't moved from his plans, Remus had gone back to his book, and Peter was now frowning at his homework, probably because he had messed up something.

Just then, the girls walked in, sitting down a little away from them. Meadows and Evans were clearly talking about homework because Marlene had rolled her eyes and opened a copy of _Quidditch Through The Ages_. McDonald was writing a letter but their last roommate was nowhere to be seen. Sirius wondered where she was.

Right on cue, the portrait hole opened and Wilson walked in, carrying something in her hands. She was grinning widely and walked over to her friends.

"I got it! Slughorn finally said yes!"

"Brilliant! Let's see it then!" said Evans, sticking out her hand eagerly.

"What did ol' Sluggy give you?" asked Sirius, making the girls turn towards where they were sitting. He smirked slightly as Wilson's cheeks colored again.

"None of your business!" snapped Evans.

"Aw, don't be like that, Evans," said Sirius, grinning at her. She glared at him for a bit and then sat back down. Sirius moved his eyes to his Potions' partner, pleased to see that she was still staring at him with that pleasant pink tinge dusting her cheeks.

"Lils, take that away from Dany before she spasms out of control again," said Marlene from the chair.

Everyone turned to look at her, giving her a questioning look.

"Sirius is looking at her. And since she seems to lose control over her limbs whenever he looks at her, I thought it might be better to get the vial into safety."

There was a loud gasp as Wilson turned towards Marlene and glared at her. Evans was trying very hard to not laugh while Meadows and McDonald had already started chuckling.

"Here you go," said Wilson in a testy voice, handing the vial to Evans and turning to face Marlene. "No more fear of spasms."

Sirius watched in amusement as she stalked up towards the girls' dorm, turning around once to send him a dirty look.

* * *

 **Lemme know what you thought of this chapter!**

 **Cheers xxx**


	7. Pureblood Potions Politics

**A/N- So I liked how this chapter started but somewhere along the way, it got really fucked up :/ I revised it a couple of times but then decided to go with this as my final version. Lemme know what you guys think.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Potions class was something Dany enjoyed immensely. Not Slughorn's annoying nepotism or Snape's increasingly creepy behavior, but the whole process of brewing potions. Like with all other subjects taught at Hogwarts, Dany liked to be able to understand why she was doing what she was doing. Something which she had only started in fourth year. As a muggleborn, she had been extremely scared and felt inadequate very often, but as the years progressed, she realised that being born outside of a magical family really had no effect on your magical abilities. So around fourth year, following a rare bit of praise from Professor McGonagall, Dany had realised that there really wasn't anything to be afraid of. Everyone was learning and most people who looked utterly confident were just incredibly good at faking it. That gave her some much needed reassurance and she had begun reading books outside of the class textbooks and going up to the teachers (just the approachable ones, mind you) and asking them about things she didn't understand or questions about any discrepancies she found in how a particular bit of magic worked.

While she enjoyed most of her classes, barring History of Magic and Herbology (both of which she had thankfully dropped), she especially enjoyed Potions because not a lot of people were good at it. She always felt a small swell of pride inside her when she looked around the class and saw that she was one of the only few managing to brew the assigned potion accurately. And if Slughorn had been a fair marker, she would probably be at the top of the class, even ahead of Lily and Snape. She didn't mind it, though. She'd rather not have such high expectations placed on her.

Which was why the new Potions arrangement was proving to be somewhat of a challenge. There were an odd number of students in NEWTs Potions and therefore, she often got a chance to work alone. Not anymore though. It wasn't that Sirius was bad at potions. Quite the opposite actually - he was just automatically brilliant at whatever he did. No. It was more about how distracting he was. He kept signalling to James and then they would both guffaw, a few seconds after which one of the Slytherins would exclaim angrily.

But there was also the fact that he kept distracting her. He would poke her leg with his shoe or accidentally brushed his elbow against hers or sigh dramatically. In response, Dany would glare at him and he would just give her a dazzling smile.

"Sirius!" she hissed, after he had managed to poke her leg for the sixth time.

"Yes?"

"Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"That! With your foot!"

His eyes were alight with mischief as he kept feigning ignorance. Dany glared at him and was about to throw some powdered valerian roots at him when Slughorn strolled over.

"Ah! Looks like there's some good work going on over here," he said beaming at Dany. His smile faded slightly as his eyes landed on Sirius. "Mr. Black, it's nice to see that you aren't causing havoc with Mr. Potter quite as often. However, I would like to see you in my office after class."

"What'd you do?" asked Dany in a singsong voice.

Sirius shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "Nothing. At least, nothing I can remember."

Dany snorted and returned to the potion. After a few idle and extremely peaceful moments, she felt a familiar tapping on her leg. This time, she didn't bother to say anything and just threw the carefully separated pile of ingredients she had kept aside for just such an occasion.

"Oh dear, Mr. Black, do get yourself cleaned up," said Slughorn, not looking the least bit concerned as half the class erupted into giggles.

Dany pressed her lips together, trying not to join in. James had fallen off his seat, Remus was shaking his head amusedly and Lily gave her a dazzling grin. But the best part was Sirius - covered in boomslang skin, valerian roots and sopophorous beans - staring at her with a delighted look in his eyes.

* * *

James had cornered Dany after classes that day. Apparently, Sirius had 'let it slip' that she was really interested in Quidditch. Now she was sitting in the common room, arguing about why Ravenclaw were more dangerous than Slytherin.

"Now that's where you're wrong!" exclaimed James, moving his arms around wildly. Lily, although working on her Herbology essay, couldn't stop the snort escaping her. Remus looked at her in amusement but didn't say anything.

"Why exactly?"

"Come on, Dany! There is no way the snakes are less of a threat!"

"But you can't even give me a good reason for it. I mean, yes, the Slytherins are incomparably aggressive but Ravenclaw have great tactics. They've actually got a plan other than 'let's injure the opposition'," said Dany, rolling her eyes.

"Well that's just- I mean- umm…." James pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and messed up his hair, looking slightly annoyed.

"Face it, Prongs," said Remus, looking up from the book he had been reading."Dany actually has a point."

Peter, who had almost fallen asleep on the couch, guffawed loudly before managing to fall off altogether.

"Potter, admit that he's wrong? I don't think the universe would be able to handle it," said Lily, sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

James, however, didn't get a chance to reply as a very disgruntled Sirius, stumbled through the portrait hole. Literally stumbled. Because he was sporting a good number of large cuts and bruises across his entire face and body.

"Padfoot!" yelled James, rushing over to him. "Mate, what happened? I thought you went to see Slughorn?"

Sirius fell onto the couch, wincing slightly and wiped the trail of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

"Yep. Bastard told me I need to pass a revisionary exam if I have to continue with Potions during NEWTs."

"What? That's ridiculous! You got an E in your OWLs. Slughorn needs E and above," said Remus, frowning at the condition of his friend.

"Yes, well, mummy dearest decided that since she can't get to me directly, she'd take a more creative approach to fuck me over," muttered Sirius, darkly. "Long story short, I have an exam right after Christmas break, which I need to get an O in, otherwise, I can't continue."

"That's bollocks!" yelled James. "Let's go to Dumbledore right now! He'll sort it out."

"Oh, this request was signed by Dumbledore and McGonagall, along with that Sluggin' bastard!" said Sirius with a hollow laugh.

"That still doesn't explain why you look like Rocky Balboa," said Lily, eliciting many confused looks from the purebloods and others not familiar with muggle culture. "Muggle reference, sorry."

"Well, I bumped into a few snakes on the way out of Slughorn's office. And seeing as how I normally love them, I ended up getting into a duel."

"How many of them were there?" asked Dany, finally saying something.

"Five."

"Padfoot! That's mental!" exclaimed Remus.

"Didn't seem mental when I clocked Mulciber," said Sirius with a dark smirk.

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing," said Remus with a sigh.

"Yeah, I guess," said Sirius, looking extremely bitter and putout.

"Do you want me to carry you?" asked James, batting his eyelashes at Sirius, who struggled to pick up a cushion and throw it at him.

"Moony, be a sport, and smack Prongs for me."

"I'll do it!" volunteered Lily and then blushed scarlet as she realised the implications of her words.

"Oh, Evans. Kinky," said Sirius with a smirk.

"Yes I am," said Lily, reaching over and poking Sirius in the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"I thought you liked it rough," said Lily, narrowing her eyes at him. James cleared his throat uncomfortably and stepped in between Lily and Sirius.

"Okay, Padfoot, let's get you over to dearest Poppy."

* * *

Dany couldn't help but notice that Sirius was sulking. Not that it wasn't blatantly obvious and dancing right in front of her eyes. But still. It was kind of amusing to see him glaring at his bowl of cereal and poking it with a fork. Not the ideal piece of cutlery for that particular breakfast dish.

She gazed around the table, making sure that everyone else was still engrossed in their own conversations, and then lightly kicked Sirius' foot with her own. A look of surprise crossed his face as he looked up at her questioningly. Not knowing what to do next, she just grinned at him sheepishly. To her surprise, he didn't respond and went back to stabbing his breakfast moodily. Dany felt an odd pang of rejection as she continued to eat the dry piece of toast on her plate.

"'Ello 'ello!" James grinned at her and slung an arm around her shoulder as they walked towards Charms. Dany mirrored his grin, never able to resist the boyish charm of the Gryffindor captain. "How're you on this fine morning?"

"Spiffing," said Dany, gripping her book bag tightly. "Can't say the same about your best mate and my current Potions partner though."

"Padfoot?" James turned around to see if the dark haired Marauder was behind them. "Yeah, he's been a little pissed off since Slughorn pulled that stunt on him."

"It is rather unfair," she muttered more to herself. "But it shouldn't be a problem right? He's good at almost everything."

"Well, yeah… But the problem with my best mate and your current Potions partner is that he has a hard time concentrating. Most of his work is done last minute or just relying on what he remembers from reading things the first time."

"Really?" Dany looked at him in surprise.

"Oh yeah! He has a fantastic memory! But concentration, that's his problem. Especially when he gets angry."

"Ah…"

"Yeah, Padfoot and his temper- Oh hey Evans!" said James, slightly self conscious, his hand automatically moving into his hair to mess it up. Unfortunately, this was the same hand which had been slung across Dany's shoulder and so, this action managed to knock his elbow into her head, making her wince in annoyance.

"Smooth, Potter," muttered Lily, rolling her eyes, while Dany continued to glare at James who looked a bit sheepish.

Charms was uneventful as all the Marauders seemed to be subdued due to Sirius' bad mood. Lily also seemed a little preoccupied, so Dany busied herself looking around the class. Her eyes eventually drifted over to a particular grey eyed boy. He was frowning - something that he had apparently monopolised in the last few days. Despite that, she marveled at how one person could look so incredible. He definitely had the haughty, aristocratic look down pat - although, he could never mask the emotions in his eyes. No matter what the situation, Sirius' eyes always gave him away. She noticed that his hair had grown some more, reaching his shoulders in a perfectly tousled manner. Right then, he looked up and held eye contact with her. She gave him a small smile but he didn't respond, his eyes betraying the main emotion ruling his life.

That night, Dany just managed to make it back to Gryffindor Tower before curfew. She had been in the library and had lost track of time. By the time, she reached the common room, it was quite deserted, save for a familiar figure lounging on the sofa.

"Hey," she whispered.

Sirius merely nodded his head in agreement.

"How's your Slughorn prep going?" she asked, tentatively.

He glanced at her quickly, flashing her a look of anger before sighing in defeat.

"Lousy."

"How come?"

"I hate studying like this," he whined.

"Have you really tried, though?" asked Dany, skeptically.

"I've tried enough," he said, sitting up and turning to face her.

"Oh come on! This is ridiculous. You have about a month to prepare for this exam. That's plenty of time. Especially for someone like you," said Dany, slightly annoyed.

"Someone like me?" She missed the hint of a smirk on his features at her previous statement.

"Yes! You're bloody brilliant! And it's just ruddy annoying to see you bogged down by something as stupid as a potions exam!"

Realising that he hadn't replied to her, Dany turned around to find Sirius smirking at her.

"What?" she asked, uncertainly.

"Do you want to help me prepare for the exam?"

"Huh?"

"Come on. Don't you want to help your bloody brilliant Potions partner out of a sticky situation?" he asked, leaning closer to her. She could see the shadows dancing on his perfectly angled cheekbones, the common room fire, giving his usually cool eyes a fiery look.

"Is this some sort of joke?" she asked, not sure of what else to say.

"Why would it be a joke?"

Dany gulped softly, debating on her next words. She considered the situation, wondering why Sirius was asking her to help him. Maybe he thought she would be able to keep him focused. Because she usually didn't really do much other than stick to her books. Yes. That seemed like the most likely explanation.

"Alright."

"Brilliant. I'll see you in the library tomorrow," he said, winking at her.

* * *

"I'm still not sure I understand why you're helping him out," said Lily, looking at her friend.

"I told you. He wants to make sure he doesn't get distracted."

"Yes," said Lily, raising an eyebrow. "But why did you agree?"

"He was so upset about it. It was just so weird seeing him like that and not wreaking havoc," offered Dany with a shrug.

"You know what I think?"

"No?"

"I think you agreed to this because you don't want him to drop Potions. Especially since he's your partner," said Lily with a glint in her eyes. "It would be a real shame if you didn't get to spend four classes a week sitting next to him."

Dany opened her mouth in retaliation but no words came out. Lily grinned at her and received an elbowing in return.

* * *

 **So what do you think of this development? I'm a little ambivalent regarding it. Tell me your thoughts!**

 **Please review! Cheers! xxx**


	8. The Problem with Euphoria

**A/N- Hey! I'm back! Here's yet another chapter. Give it a read.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Christmas break meant that the halls of the castle were sparsely populated. Most students preferred to spend time with their families. Strangely, Gryffindor's population didn't seem to have diminished much. Peter and Mary had gone home but James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, Dany, Dorcas and Marlene were all staying back.

Unfortunately, Dany didn't get much free time. She spent most of the day helping Sirius with Potions. While Sirius was obviously brilliant, he was exceptionally lazy when it came to things that annoyed him. And currently, Potions was annoying the fuck out of him.

"Okay, pay attention. You can't afford to go James Dean on this," said Dany, setting up the cauldron. Sirius raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes at him. "Muggle reference."

"If you fuck this up, we could either be covered in cement or have our robes catch fire," she continued, giving him sharp look.

"Fine, fine. Ruddy Potions making me sweat so much," he muttered, grumpily.

"No one asked you to wear a leather jacket indoors next to a large fire," she said with a snort.

"My leather jacket is iconic and beyond reproach," said Sirius, feigning indignance. Dany couldn't help but dissolve into giggles at the look on his face. He just flashed her a grin and quickly shrugged off his 'iconic' jacket. She wouldn't ever admit it to him but he did have a point. Sirius seemed to own any look he sported, and seeing as he had a particular liking for the bad boy biker look, it had quickly become synonymous with him. A lot of boys trying and failing to emulate him. There was something about how the leather jacket looked on him, hanging casually from his broad shoulders and contrasting magnificently with his aristocratic features.

"Am I supposed to stir it clockwise and counterclockwise as well?" he asked, shaking her out of her fashion-appreciative daze.

"Both. Honestly," she said, frowning at him. "I'm not your cheat sheet. I will not help you any more if you keep slacking off, expecting me to just fill in the parts you can't remember."

"Don't get your wand in a knot. I remember. I just wanted to confirm, is all."

Dany huffed and leaned against the wall, watching Sirius work on the potion. He was doing fine. Which was never really the problem. He just needed to care long enough to get through the exam.

She wasn't completely truthful before when she had said she would stop helping him. The truth was, that she really enjoyed her afternoons with him. He was so intelligent. Just talking about things with him gave her immense joy. Not to mention his sarcastic charm and ready wit. And it definitely did not hurt that he was gorgeous. Although her serial blushing had stopped, there were still times when she would be mesmerized by him. But then, that wasn't all there was. Dany felt like she could talk to him so easily. It had taken her years to talk freely with Lily and the others. But it was just so much simpler with Sirius. He was oddly intuitive and had understood exactly how to ease her into conversation, and once that obstacle had been overcome, it was just an endless flow of banter, ideas and discussions between them.

"Oi, stop daydreaming and hand me the syrup of hellebore," he said, nudging her knee with his finger.

"Its right next to you," frowned Dany.

"I know," he smirked. "Just wanted to know whether you were actually paying attention or not."

"Annoying me is a lot of fun, isn't it?" she asked, dryly.

"Loads."

"Prat."

* * *

Lily walked into the common room in search of Remus. She needed to go through his Transfiguration notes before starting on her essay for McGonagall. However, the sandy-haired teenager was nowhere to be seen. She frowned, slightly annoyed, her eyes landing on a messy haired boy with spectacles.

"Potter," she snapped. "Where's Remus?"

James looked stunned to have been addressed by her which was not initiated by some attention-seeking act of his. His hand automatically went to his hair and messed it up even more.

"Wotcher Evans," he said, quickly recovering. "Remus is ill," he emphasized with a meaningful look.

"Oh…" Lily realised that it had been a full moon two nights ago. Which meant that Remus was in the Hospital Wing. Drat. She couldn't be annoyed with him about that.

"Did you need something?" asked James, slightly hesitant.

"No. Actually… yes. Remus said he'd lend me his notes on the essay we have due after the break."

"I can help you out with that," he said, almost jumping with eagerness. "I mean, until Remus gets better."

Lily bit her lip. She really didn't want to be indebted to him. But then, since when did a few simple notes count as a huge debt? Sighing deeply, she nodded her head, trying not to roll her eyes at the look of utter joy on James' face.

"I'm definitely going to regret this," she muttered to herself.

* * *

Christmas morning saw the 6th year Gryffindor boys dorm flooded with a few too many people. The girls had settled there as everyone decided it would be nice to open presents together. Aside from James tripping over his feet at the sight of Lily in his dorm, everything seemed to be going quite smoothly.

Dany usually put a lot of thought into presents for her friends, and this year her friends had increased quite a bit. But the plus side was that she received more presents as well. Lily had given her a rather exciting looking muggle book. Dorcas had given her a new pair of gloves and a beautiful scarf, from both her and Mary. Marlene had gone out of her way and gifted her a lovely pair of earrings. Remus had gotten her a rather massive pile of Honeydukes' finest. Peter, surprisingly, had also gotten her something - an eagle feather quill. James had gotten her a signed Puddlemere United jersey ("I've got my sources") and Sirius had given her a new satchel.

They were all lounging about, eating chocolates and laughing at James try his utmost to maintain his cool around Lily. Marlene was stretched out on James' bed, flipping through a Quidditch magazine. Lily and Remus were trying to convince James that dressing up as McGonagall would definitely land him a year's worth of detention. Peter was busy explaining the working of a Sneakoscope to Dorcas, and Dany and Sirius were arguing about Puddlemere United.

"You are terribly easy to rile up," chuckled Sirius, reaching around Dany to grab a piece of chocolate.

"Prat," muttered Dany, darkly. No matter how many times they had this discussion, she would never fail to get worked up when Sirius taunted her about Puddlemere's recent form. "Oi! That's my chocolate!"

"I'm just trying to help. The rate at which you're going, our dorm will be carpeted in chocolate colored vomit before you can say 'Snivellus sucks!',"he said, grinning at her.

"You are incorrigible," she huffed, nudging his shoulder halfheartedly. "Thanks for the satchel, by the way."

"Oh right! I forgot to tell you. I've placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on it so you can load it with as much crap as you want. Merlin knows you lug around a ton of that."

"That's fantastic! Thanks for that, Sirius!" she said, brightly. She was a little surprised to get such a thoughtful gift from him. It looked like the blush was not going to be a tale of ages past.

In the meantime, James and Lily were actually getting along without any awkward propositions or angry hexes. A fact which Remus registered and signalled to Sirius and Dany to notice as well. They all had huge grins on their faces as they watched Potter and Evans get along like a house on fire.

* * *

Sirius was slightly nervous. He hardly ever got nervous. Not since he had been sorted into Gryffindor and had realised that there was a way to escape the clutches of his sadistic family. But now, waiting for Slughorn to begin his exam, made him feel like another telling off by his mother wouldn't be too bad at that point. He was also trying very hard to keep his temper at bay. Watching Slughorn waltz into the dungeons, almost bursting out of his robes and eating from his blasted case of glazed pineapples, made Sirius want to punch the smug expression off his face.

Fortunately, the questions were all pretty straightforward, including the Draught of Peace and antidotes to poisons. He had covered all of this during revision with Dany last night. She had sat with him till 2 in the morning, scolding him every time she jolted awake to hide her embarrassment at drifting off.

Finally, Slughorn asked him to stop writing (which he had stopped a while ago, having finished his paper very early) and went to inspect his potions. It was a nerve-wracking 30 minutes as the Head of Slytherin assessed his theory and practical exam.

"Well, Mr. Black," he said, holding out a parchment for him. "Here is your result."

Sirius took it from him and hastily opened it, his lips curling upwards at the elegant O at the top of the page.

"I'll see you next week."

Sirius walked out to see Dany sitting outside, tapping her foot nervously and trying to read the book that Lily had given her. Sensing him walking towards her, she looked up and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

He grinned at her and she set aside her book, tackling him in a hug. Sirius barked out a laugh and twirled her around, feeling extremely lighthearted for some reason. Sure, he wouldn't have to drop Potions and forget his dream of becoming an Auror. But there was something more to it. He ignored that thought and hugged her tightly.

She was quite tall, only needing to tilt her head slightly to look up at him. Which she was doing now. She had a brilliant smile on her face, the tiny dimple on her right cheek making her look even more happy. He hugged her tightly again and twirled her around a bit more, enjoying her hands wrapped around his neck.

With a strange euphoria coursing through him, Sirius dipped his head down and captured her lips with his. She responded to his kiss and tangled her fingers into his longish hair. As they continued, his hands slipped down to her waist and pulled her closer to him.

They pulled apart after a while, panting slightly and sporting identical delighted expressions. Only, Dany's smile fell after a few seconds, her brow creasing and her breath quickening. She moved away from him, a puzzled expression on her face which was soon overcome by one of horror.

Shaking her head violently, she turned away, picked up her book and hastened away towards the other end of the castle.

* * *

 **A bit short, but I wanted to end the chapter here. About Lily knowing about Remus, I figured she would have found out by 6th year. And it would be nice to have a story where Lily finding out wasn't a big event which needed to be told.**

 **Also. I'm not sure what I'm doing with this story lol.**

 **Anyway, please review xxx**


	9. Variance of Emotional Capacities

**A/N- Sometimes I hate myself for impulsively writing scenes which I have a hard time following up later. This was one of the latter. But I think I've managed to not fuck it up completely. Although you'll have to wait for more insight obv.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Sirius walked into Potions, settling down into his seat lazily. His eyes scanned the room, spotting James talking excitedly with Marlene. Behind them, Remus and Dorcas were going through some notes. Lily and Mary were sitting next to them, occasionally leaning in to add something to the discussion. However, there was no sign of his own partner. He wondered why she wasn't here yet. Normally, she would have gotten here well before him. In fact, he hadn't really seen her after his Potions exam and the… well, the kiss.

The bell rang for the class to begin and she bustled in, her hair open and books clutched to her chest. Sirius let out a breath of relief. At least he knew that she wasn't avoiding him. It would be mighty difficult to continue a class with his partner ignoring him.

They were reviewing fifth year Potions in class and Slughorn wanted them all to pick one potion and brew it successfully. And it was during this particular assignment that Sirius discovered that his partner wasn't absolutely spiffing. She barely said two words to him, nodding her head occasionally and working almost mechanically. She refused to even look at him, preferring to pour over her book while they were waiting. Normally, Sirius would have at least tried to get her to react but something was holding him back. Maybe it was the slight frown that graced her forehead. Maybe it was the fact that his insides started squirming every time he glanced at her. Or maybe it was just that he didn't feel particularly inclined to investigate the inner musings of this somewhat temperamental person.

So he also said nothing and the class passed by in this way. Drawing a few curious stares from James, Remus and Marlene. Lily was completely engrossed in her work and Dorcas and Mary hadn't really picked up on anything. The bell rang once again to signal the end of class and before Sirius could do anything, the girl beside him had gotten up and swiftly walked out before anyone else.

"Mate." Sirius turned around to see James heading over to him, Remus a little way behind. "What's going on with Dany? Did you piss her off?"

"Why would you think that?" said Sirius with a frown.

"Come on, Padfoot," said Remus, catching up to them. "She looked pretty ticked off and you two barely exchanged a word."

"That doesn't mean that I pissed her off. Who knows what goes on in her head…" he muttered darkly.

"Whatever," said James. "Let's get to Herbology before Sprout gives us detention."

* * *

Dany was glad that she had a free period after Potions. Working with Sirius had been torture. She kept replaying their kiss and her stomach churned each time, trying hard to stop herself from throwing up. This was ridiculous. How had she landed in such a predicament? A few months ago, she had barely exchanged words with Hogwarts' most handsome wizard, but now she had successfully snogged him and was freaking the fuck out.

Why was she freaking out so much? She didn't have feelings for him. Other than the obvious attraction everyone felt towards his darkly handsome looks and magnetic personality. Perhaps it was because she had never done anything impulsive like this before. It was completely unlike her and the worst part was that she wasn't sure what she felt about it. A part of her was mortified that she had actually kissed Sirius but the other part, one that was at loggerheads with the first part, was trying to scream out that she had enjoyed it so much. And it was this conflict that made Dany want to throw up two weeks worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner.

She wondered if she should confide in someone. She wasn't too sure about it. She barely ever discussed her personal life with anyone. And this particular incident happened to be very private and she didn't know whether she could trust anyone with that information or the swirl of emotions inside her. Would Sirius tell anyone about it? Probably not. There were always rumors going around about his latest conquests, although she didn't know whether she really believed any of them. But she did know that kissing a girl would not be big news to Sirius Black. And especially not kissing her. She wasn't popular, she wasn't athletic, and she wasn't witty and charming. Nothing to match any bit of his extraordinariness. Perhaps that was better. He would probably brush it off and not think twice about the kiss. It was utterly inconsequential. But what if he didn't… What if he found it very amusing that his shy and reserved Potions partner had actually jumped at the chance to kiss him - just like so many others.

As always, over-analyzing didn't help. But that had never stopped Dany. She sat in her bed the entire period, thinking of different scenarios and how each one would turn out badly for her. Ultimately, the bell rang and she walked down to the common room, not really interested in getting lunch.

"I cannot believe that prat!" Lily burst through the portrait hole, red in the face, followed by a slightly distraught Marlene.

"Lils, calm down-"

"I will not calm down! Just who the fuck does he think he is?!" yelled Lily.

"But he didn't even do anything. Lils, please ju-"

"Didn't do anything? He didn't have to! I know exactly what was going to happen!"

Marlene looked quite helpless - something that was very unlike her usual demeanour. Dany looked at her questioningly but the blonde just shook her head indicating that now was not a good time.

"I'm heading down for lunch…" she said, leaving the words hanging in the air. Marlene looked at Lily tentatively and the redhead finally let out a sigh and nodded her head. The three of them reached the Great Hall and were greeted by Dorcas and Mary.

Lunch was very stiff and uncomfortable because the Marauders had joined them as well and Lily looked like she was about to explode. It was rather odd to see James looking so sheepish and uncertain. Peter kept shooting Remus anxious glances and the sandy haired boy would nod his head with a slightly perplexed look on his face. Sirius was particularly moody, going to great lengths to not hide his disdain at Lily's behaviour. Dany was just glad that there was something to distract her from her previous obsessive thoughts.

"Dorcas, do you think I could borrow your Astronomy notes?" asked Marlene, trying to diffuse the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Yeah, of course," she replied, giving her a small smile. "You missed the last class as well, didn't you Remus? I can lend them to you as well."

Remus looked slightly taken aback to be addressed so abruptly but smiled and nodded his head nonetheless. An owl flew in, dropping a letter into Dany's lap. She wondered who it was from and opened it slowly, while giving the owl a tiny bit of her food.

"Peter," said Mary, beginning on her dessert. "What was that card game you lot were playing last night?"

"Oh, it's a modified version of muggle poker," said the smaller boy, grinning at her. While usually intimidated by most girls, Peter had an easy camaraderie with Mary. "Remus and I developed it over last term."

"Poker? Like Texas Hold 'em?" asked Mary, curiously.

"That's the one! We could teach you if you like," he said, chewing on some cheese.

"Yeah! I'd love that. I'm sure we'd all be interested," she said, looking around at her friends. Dorcas and Marlene- both purebloods- exchanged bemused expressions but nodded along, Lily shrugged disinterestedly while Dany was still absorbed in reading her letter.

"So how'd you come up with the idea?" she continued.

"Oh, umm…"

"Peter's rather good at anything involving strategy," said Remus with a grin. "He's the best out of all of us at chess and he's really good at picking up anything that involves chance or probability."

"That's impressive, Pete," said Marlene. "Didn't know you had it in you."

The blond boy flushed at the statement and Remus clapped him on the back, laughing at his embarrassment.

"Well, how would you?" said Lily. "What with Potter stealing the limelight from everyone all the time."

The light mood that had descended on the group immediately evaporated. Peter looked uncomfortable once again, Remus looking at James apprehensively. Marlene was gaping at Lily in disbelief, while Dorcas and Mary looked worried. James, himself, just looked incredibly resigned.

"Lils," began Marlene.

"I'm right, aren't I? Big-headed Potter running around the school like he owns it. Not a care for other people. Absolute disregard for any kind of rules. How would anyone notice anything that Peter, or for that matter, Remus, does with their supposed best friend stealing everyone's attention with his arrogance and-"

"Would you just shut up!"

Everyone, including Lily, looked at the owner of the voice with shocked expressions.

"I really don't understand your problem. James hasn't done anything. He's sitting there and eating his lunch and you just cannot stop yourself from-from- BITCHING about him! You accuse James of being an arrogant areshole, well as I see it, you're the one who's being an arsehole now. A presumptuous, condescending, judgemental arsehole! So just _shut the fuck up_ ," Dany completed through gritted teeth, her eyes alight with anger.

Before anyone could react, she picked up her things and stormed out of the Great Hall. Fortunately, the only ones who had been privy to her outburst were the sixth year Gryffindors, because even though she had been livid, her voice had still been low.

* * *

Dany hovered outside the dungeons, her fingers clasped around the letter she had received. After storming out of lunch, she had made a beeline for the Slytherin common room, hoping to find Scott. Scott would be there. Scott would know what to say. Scott would understand what she was going through.

She waited and waited and waited. But Scott didn't appear. Soon, the bell rang and she turned away resignedly. He clearly wasn't there. She's have to find him after classes.

Unfortunately, the pacing and the waiting hadn't eased her mind even a bit. She bit her lower lip, trying to contain her tears. Not really looking at where she was going, she wandered into the Transfiguration Courtyard and almost knocked into someone who appeared to be in a great deal of hurry.

"Dany?"

"James…"

The bespectacled boy ran a hand through his hair, making it stick out at odd angles. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, I…"

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, looking at her with concern. "You look upset. I mean, you didn't look too happy during Potions either. And I don't know if it has anything to do with Padfoot, but you shouldn't bother yourself about him too much. He gets moody at times. I think, he also believes that it looks attractive on him, the prat. Woah! Why're you crying?"

Dany shook her head softly, unable to control her tears any longer. James hesitated slightly but eventually put an arm around her shoulder. It was oddly comforting and Dany found herself spilling her guts to him.

"I-I just got a letter from home. My grandmum- she's really sick. They've put her into the hospital but they don't know whether she'll be able to pull through. I'm so worried, James," she said, through soft tears. "I don't want her to die. I w-want to go home during the summer and spend all my time with her. Sh-she-"

James waited for her to calm down a little and then pulled her into a hug. Usually, Dany wasn't used to a lot of physical contact and tried her best to avoid it. But James was just so warm and caring that she hugged him back. It was strange. She had never been hugged like this by anyone but her mother. James was just an incredibly kind and loving person, and that came out in his hug. It was extremely comforting and she finally understood why his friends were so incredibly loyal to him. He was just that kind of person - so open and generous.

"Thanks," she said after a while. James grinned at her and swung his arm around her shoulder again. "Shit! We're late for Defense! I'm so sorry, James!"

"Don't be, Dany. It won't be the first time for me," he said with a grin. "But now that we've missed the first 15 minutes, it'd be a shame to show up late and disrupt proceedings. What say we skive?"

"Skive?" asked Dany, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeah, we won't get caught and if anyone brings it up, I'll say that you passed out in the middle of the corridor and I was making sure you weren't attacked by any wandering Slytherins."

"How thoughtful," she said with a snort.

"What can I say? I was born this way. Now come on, I'll show you something top secret," he said, gesturing for her to follow him as he moved in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room.

* * *

 **About Lily- you'll find out what's up with her in the next chapter.**

 **And I was mainly trying to establish how different James is from most of the people Dany's known in her life. While she's always been surrounded by introverts and people similar to her in many ways, James is not like that and he is quick to try and make people feel better. He doesn't care about how it might make him look or what people might think of him. He's very secure about warmth and affection - a product of his healthy family life.**

 **Anywho... Please review! xxx**


	10. Affectionately, Toerag

**A/N- Back with another chapter! Not sure how this turned out because I've not really written prank scenes before (not well at least).**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Sirius was utterly restless. It was almost time for Easter break and they hadn't pulled even one prank since the new year had begun. James had been preoccupied with planning for the final match of the season while Remus and Peter were engrossed in studies. What was more frustrating for Sirius was the unresolved situation he had going on with Dany. She was still not speaking to him. Well, she was barely speaking to anybody. Not since her outburst at Lily during lunch that day. She had become even more quiet and only spoke when spoken to. It was as if things had gone back to how it was before the beginning of 6th year- when he was barely aware of her existence.

"Boys, I think it's time to remind Hogwarts of our reputation," he said one night in the dorm.

"Our 'reputation'?" Remus looked extremely amused.

"As the greatest pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen."

"Interesting. Pads, do you have anything in mind?" James had sat up in his bed, putting on his glasses, his hair sticking up as usual.

"I do, actually," said Sirius, with a smirk. "It involves one of our all time favorite singles by James' second most favorite muggle band."

He explained his idea to them eliciting a laugh, a groan and a cheer from James, Remus and Peter respectively. It was decided that the friday before Easter break would be the perfect time to pull off their prank.

* * *

The Great Hall was abuzz with chatter and excitement. This was the last break before exams and most of the students were incredibly thrilled to be going home or just lazing around for a bit. The Gryffindor table had become slightly segregated in the last few weeks. Lily maintained a large distance from the Marauders, occasionally joined by Mary and Dorcas. Marlene would alternate between them and the boys. Dany preferred sitting by herself, although she didn't refuse when either James or Marlene asked to sit with her.

Today, however, the Marauders were sitting quite close to each other, whispering furiously amongst themselves.

"They're up to something." Lily threw them a dark look before starting on her bacon and eggs. Dorcas and Mary exchanged looks but decided not to say anything in case Lily got offended or something. She had been on edge for a while now. Even before Dany had told her off.

Marlene, however, had no qualms about speaking her mind. "Those prats look far too smug. I just hope whatever they've planned doesn't involve us. I don't fancy being drenched in some questionable fluid to satisfy their entertainment needs."

Fortunately, no such thing happened. Instead, a very confused looking Severus Snape suddenly stood up on the Slytherin table, clapped his hands and launched into song.

" _You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen."_ He pointed at Mulciber who for some unfathomable reason was wearing a flower crown on his head and leapt up to stand alongside him

" _Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine."_ A rather fancy looking tambourine appeared in Avery's hands, who had also joined the other two on top of the table.

" _You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life."_ By this time, the entire Hall had erupted into laughter.

" _See that girl, watch that scene, diggin the Dancing Queen!"_

All three boys looked furious and red faced as Slughorn and McGonagall came bustling over to see what the matter was. Snape cast a dirty look in the direction of the Gryffindor table but just as he was about to open his mouth, Sirius flicked his wand imperceptibly and soon the greasy haired boy had begun singing again.

" _Finite Incantatum."_ McGonagall pursed her lips, not looking the least bit pleased.

Back at the Gryffindor table, everyone was in splits. James had even managed to roll off his seat, he was laughing so hard. Peter was almost choking and Remus thumped him on the back while laughing helplessly himself.

The girls were no better. Marlene was thumping the table as she tried to control her giggles. Mary had let out a fair few snorts while trying to contain her amusement. Dorcas and Lily were clutching each other as tears of mirth streamed down their cheeks.

But Sirius was rather pleased to see one particular person, covering her mouth with her hand and trembling with laughter. His observation was interrupted by the appearance of a familiar figure.

"That was bloody brilliant!" The Ravenclaw tie and small build could only indicate one particular first year all of them had grown rather fond of.

"Mike, my man! Thank you!" Sirius beamed at the younger boy. "Have a seat."

"No," he said, scrunching up his face as he glanced around the table. "I'd rather not. But I remember you and James mentioning that you were interested in learning a few muggle sports for your Muggle Studies assignment. If you want, you can drop by my house during Easter break. My dad's the administrator of one of the local schools. I'm sure I can get you access to some of the equipment and fields."

"Brilliant! We owe you one, old boy!" Sirius clapped the boy on the back, who flushed slightly in pleasure. "Let me know where you stay and we'll make sure to drop by at least once."

* * *

Lily Evans wasn't used to feeling like this. She prided herself on being a responsible, considerate and hard-working witch. But the last few weeks had thrown her completely off gear. Perhaps it was the stress of 6th year or the fear of the growing war. Whatever the reason, she had been having trouble sleeping recently. Her stomach was squirming uncomfortably, as it usually did when she felt guilty about doing something wrong. And she was pretty certain that she hadn't done very many nice things recently.

So when she walked into the common room and found one James Potter sitting alone by the fire, she squashed every ounce of pride that threatened to stop her, and walked over to him.

"Evans." He looked very surprised to see her. But strangely, his eyes held no anger and his voice didn't even the least bit mocking.

"Hullo." Lily mentally kicked herself for being so utterly stubborn. She had no idea that she had such a streak.

"So, umm, are you going home for Easter?" she asked, not looking directly at him.

"Oh…" He appeared to be rather shocked at her choice of question. "Yes. I am, actually. What about yourself?"

"I'm not. I mean, I wanted to. But I have a lot of work to catch up on and if I go home then I'll just get distracted… My parents, Tuney, the war…" She trailed off realising that this wasn't something she usually discussed with the Gryffindor captain.

"Yeah, I can understand your worry. My folks are purebloods but that doesn't stop me from staying awake at night wondering if they've been done in because of their beliefs."

"But your family has you, Evans," he continued. "Once you're of age, you can protect them. And you are a bloody fantastic witch so-"

"I'm sorry." James stopped mid-sentence and stared at the red-headed girl. "I'm sorry I've been such a dick to you, especially recently. Even though you didn't do anything. It's just- with the war and everything and-and- I don't know. But I really am sorry for behaving like that with you, Potter. I hope you'll forgive me."

She hesitantly looked at him and saw him beaming at her. Her cheeks felt warm as she registered the look on his face.

"There's no need to apologise, Evans," he said. "I've been a right prat for nigh on 6 years. I daresay, I had it coming. But, I will accept your apology because I appreciate the effort. It must have been extremely tough for you to decide to apologise to me." He grinned at her good-naturedly and Lily found herself slowly grinning along.

"I've actually got to finish working on these plays for the final against Ravenclaw," he said, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically. "But if you ever do feel like yelling or cursing at someone to lighten your mood, I'm your bloke."

"Potter," said Lily, blushing lightly and hitting him on the shoulder. "You're such a prat."

He just smiled at her like she had given him the greatest compliment in the world.

* * *

"I can't believe it."

"You sure she wasn't under the influence of something?"

"You weren't dreaming, were you?"

James rolled his eyes at his three friends while the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Hogsmeade. He had just told them about his conversation with Lily, and they were a bit… skeptical about it- to put it mildly.

"I'm telling you! She apologised and then we actually had a bit of a semi-alright conversation!"

"I need some chocolate," said Remus, pulling out a bar from inside his cardigan.

"Moony!" James whined and stomped his feet impatiently. "What should I do? I finally think that she doesn't hate me! I don't want to fuck this up."

"Let's be real, Prongs," said Sirius, leaning back into the seat. "The chances of you not fucking up are slim to none. Oi! No violence!"

"I think you should just continue as you are," said Remus, thoughtfully as James and Sirius continued to wrestle with Peter discarded scarf. "Clearly, she's seen something in you that's made her realise that you…"

"Aren't an arrogant toerag?" supplied Peter, helpfully.

"Right you are, Pete. And I think some of it was due to Dany's outburst."

Sirius felt himself tense slightly at the mention of her name. He stood up abruptly and opened the door of the compartment. "Be back in a bit," he muttered.

Truth be told, Sirius was happy to be away from Hogwarts for the Easter break. It meant that he wouldn't continuously run into her everyday and see her either ignore him or answer him in the most microscopic sentences possible. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't bump into her in the train, because there she was, walking slowly towards him, eyes downcast and not really paying attention to what was going on around her. Sirius held his breath, wondering if he should say anything or let her aimlessly walk into him. At least then she'd be forced to say something. Fortunately, he didn't have to do anything as she looked up and registered his presence, giving him a barely perceptible half smile. This was all the encouragement that Sirius needed and he walked up to her, determined to sort this out.

"Hey," he said, effectively blocking her path forward.

"Hullo."

"Look," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I think we really need to talk. About what, umm, happened." He waited for her to say something but when she didn't, he just continued. "I don't want things to get awkward between us - like it has been the past few weeks. I like having you as my Potions partner and things haven't been okay between us recently. I mean, what happened, happened. But let's not get weird about it. It was a moment of euphoria and no one but the two of us know about it. So if you're alright with it, we can just move on. What do you say?"

She stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded her head slowly.

"Great! I can't tell you how relieved I am to get this sorted out. I'll see you after the break!" He grinned at her and went back to his compartment, feeling much happier than he had in days.

* * *

"Pads, we need to pick at least three Muggle sports for our assignment," said James, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What do you think?"

"I rather like this football thing," said Sirius, leafing through his textbook. "But I say let's wait until we get to Mike's. Then we'll know what our choices are."

"Right you are. Let's get some food and then head off!"

Around noon, James and Sirius found themselves in a muggle neighborhood, bustling with activity and full of all kinds of people. They looked at the house numbers until they finally came across the number that Mike had written down for them. It was a rather nice looking house, simple but charming.

"Looks like this is the place," said Sirius, ringing the doorbell as James bent down to tie his laces.

"It's okay, Mum. I'll get it." They heard a faint voice calling from inside. In a few moments the door opened and Sirius thought that he had been punched in the gut. There, in a baggy t-shirt and tiny shorts, stood Daniella Wilson, her mouth hanging open in shock.

* * *

 **Damn! What was that? Thoughts on the various 'resolutions' that** **occurred?**

 **Cheers xxxx**


	11. Rather Than Washing Snape's Hair

**A/N- This is a totally experimental chapter. Haha. I always attempt these things and then regret them bitterly later.** **Also, thanks to everyone who left a review for the last chapter. They were all guest users so I can't mention the usernames here lol.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

This was not happening. Sirius Black was not standing at her door, looking utterly sexy and dishevelled, and not-so-subtly taking in her very informal attire. Scratch that. He was blatantly staring at her and she could feel her entire face grow warm. It was just the way he was looking at her - like he had never seen her before. Perhaps he had never seen her wearing a ratty old t-shirt and boy shorts from four years ago. But still.

"Dany?" asked James, incredulously. Funnily enough, his shock quickly changed into delight. "What in the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that." She had finally found her voice but Sirius still appeared to have left his behind somewhere because he just continued to stare at her like he had just experienced some kind of life-altering revelation.

"We're here to meet a pal of ours," said James, looking at Sirius for confirmation. "But the address must be wrong. You sure Mike gave you the right address, Pads?"

Dany froze. It couldn't be. She must have heard wrong. "Mike? Are you here to see Michael?"

"You know him?" James looked slightly confused at this point.

"Hullo. What are you two doing talking to my boring sister?" Right on cue, Michael strode towards the door, leaving the other three in shock.

"Mike is your brother?" Sirius had finally found his voice. Well done, indeed.

"Well let's get inside then. Nothing to do out here." Mike ushered them in while Dany just stood there looking slightly lost.

There was something slightly off about Dany and Mike. The way they interacted. Or rather, didn't. They barely exchanged any words and Mike had a strange way of ignoring her or putting her down in any way possible. It was almost like they hated each other. Now Sirius knew that having a sibling wasn't the easiest. Heck, he'd had his fair share of fights and arguments with Reg. But there was something slightly different about this situation.

"We can head down to the school this afternoon. I've talked to dad and he's rather excited about showing two proper wizards around."

"Proper wizards?" asked James, curiously.

"His way of referring to purebloods. You know, people who've never been exposed to true muggle conditions." Mike looked slightly annoyed while saying this.

"Wait," said Sirius, suddenly remembering something. "I don't have a racquet. Would I be able to get one at the school?"

"Oh right. Umm," Mike pondered thoughtfully. "There's a room on the next floor, and there are a couple of racquets there. You can just pop up and grab whatever you need."

"Hurry up, Padfoot," said James, looking rather excited. "I can't wait to whip you in a game other than Quidditch."

"Now, now, Prongs, people would think you enjoy that sort of thing." Sirius smirked as he ran up the stairs, two steps at a time.

* * *

 _Bugger. I've left the shampoo bottle outside._ Dany huffed in annoyance and wrapped the towel around her hastily. Such a bother. She really wanted to take a good long bath.

The bottle was on her bed and she picked it up with one hand, the other holding onto her towel gingerly. It was just at this time that the door opened and Sirius Black walked in. He had a smirk on his face which fell as soon as he saw her. Dany wished that she could just evaporate into thin air at this point. Her life could not get any more embarrassing.

Sirius stood stock still near the door, unsure of what to do. This wasn't something he had ever expected in all his life. She was standing there wearing nothing but a towel, around which her grip tightened as his eyes moved over her. Godric, she was beautiful. Why had he never realised? Her legs… They were slender and ran on for miles. And her beautiful slim shoulders with the collar bones standing out with delightful perfection. And her-

"Well, do I really have to tell you?" Sirius was shaken out of his, umm, observations by her soft voice.

"Sorry?"

"Get out."

"Right. S-sorry about, umm," he fumbled, gesturing around and finally deciding it would be better to just leave.

Never in his life had Sirius stuttered and fumbled in the presence of a girl. It was unprecedented and he didn't know what to think about it. And his mind kept wandering back to her. Merlin he was in trouble.

"So, you boys are a few years above Mike, is it?" Mr. Wilson was a tall, serious looking man with gruff but genuine manner.

"That's right," said James, grinning at him. "We're in the same year as Dany. Same House too."

"Really?" He looked a little surprised but then his face broke into a warm smile. "That's rather fantastic. Good to meet a few of Dany's friends. In fact, why don't we- Oh there you are darling!"

Dany was walking down the stairs, trying to make herself scarce but had obviously failed at it. She grimaced slightly and walked over to where everyone else was sitting.

"Hi Dad," she said, looking everywhere but at Sirius.

"Why don't you come along with us to the school?" Her eyes widened and Sirius would have laughed at her mortified expression if his own stomach hadn't clenched uncomfortably.

"R-really? There's no need for that."

"Yes. There really is no need for that," said Mike, looking decidedly annoyed.

"Nonsense. It's always good to have another player. And Mike, you did say that Sirius wanted to play tennis. And your sister is the only one of us who knows that sport."

"Well-" Mike seemed to be floundering for a counter argument. "I'm sure there'll be someone at the school who can teach him!"

"My dear boy! It's Easter. There's no one at school. No, no. I insist. Dany you will come along with us. It'll be fun. And they are your friends afterall."

"If you insist, Dad," she said, looking like she had just been asked to spend the day washing Snape's hair.

* * *

It was an agonising journey to the school. Dany sat at the back of the car with James and Sirius, while Mike sat beside their father in front. She was squeezed into the left side, Sirius on her right and James on his other side. She was practically falling out the door, trying to not brush against Sirius in any way. Though that failed because both James and Sirius were so unbelievably tall, and she herself wasn't really a tiny person. She could feel her neck grow warm with embarrassment as the ride stretched on. Bugger everything. Why was this happening to her?

"Right, so the gym, fields and courts are this way. Why don't you lot get changed and then we'll play some football." Dany's dad was clearly a figure of authority wherever he went.

"So you're gonna teach Padfoot how to play tennis?" James walked beside her with a wicked grin on his face.

"Apparently, I don't have a choice."

"But you will play football now, right?"

"No."

"No? Why not?"

"Because it's not so much me playing football as me being splayed on the ground spitting out grass and mud. Sorry James, but you'll have to play without me."

"Okay." He rubbed the back of his neck dejectedly.

"But I think you should definitely try your hand at basketball. It's really popular in the States but I think you'll be really good at it. And I'll play that for sure."

"Aye, aye Wilson!"

After a few minutes of warming up and stretching, Dany and Sirius moved to the tennis court. It wasn't long before Sirius picked up the basics - he was annoyingly good at everything.

"Alright. How about a quick game?" He grinned at her, a challenge in his eyes.

"Umm, no. Not a game. But maybe we could manage a tie breaker. First to 7 points with a difference of 2, wins. Okay?"

He smirked at her and bounced the ball with his racquet, not looking in any way like he had just picked up the sport today. She huffed to herself and walked to the other side of the net, not looking forward to this at all. But then, she realised that this was tennis. Her favorite sport outside of Quidditch, and she wasn't going to let some stupid boy (no matter how ridiculously handsome) ruin it for her. She resolved to enjoy the game and focus on the ball rather than her opponent.

Sirius served, a powerful shot down the T. Dany lunged at it and just barely managed to get it back. He was obviously very strong and fast, having played Quidditch for many years. But Dany had a few years of tennis experience on her side and she delved into that, changing the pace and making her opponent sprint from corner to corner. Though Sirius played extremely well, not just for a beginner, Dany still had the edge. She had a mind for tactics, and within a short few points, had picked up on Sirius' style of play. He relied very heavily on his forehand, which wasn't a surprise considering the movement mirrored the swinging of his Beater's bat. He wasn't too good at handling changes in pace, struggling whenever she sent a heavily back spun ball his way. But with all things, Sirius picked up all these things rather quickly. Eventually, Dany won 7-3.

"Impressive." Sirius smirked at her, making her flush. It almost seemed like he had actually won the game, the way he strode about confidently and how embarrassed she felt.

"Where's dad?" Dany asked as Mike and James came over to them, looking pretty knackered.

"Oh, he had some work but he left us some Muggle money to take the bus back," said James, when Mike didn't bother replying. "So, basketball?"

"In a bit. I need water." Dany sat down by the wired fence and poured cold water on her face. She had gotten very unused to physical activity. Basketball would have to wait a few minutes.

She closed her eyes for a bit, taking a few deep breaths and getting her heartbeat back to normal. The weather wasn't too bad. The sun was out but it hadn't become unbearably hot yet. Suddenly, she felt like she was being watched and slowly opened her eyes. Her breath caught when she realised that an oddly familiar figure was watching her intently from outside the school.

It was one of the locals - one of those young men you stay away from even before your mother warns you about him. She vaguely remembered seeing him before and feeling oddly creeped out. She didn't like the way he was watching her so she quickly got up and joined the others at the basketball court.

Throughout the game, she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled on her. She kept trying to see whether that guy was still watching her, almost hitting James in the face with a distracted throw. Eventually, she couldn't spot him any longer and breathed a sigh of relief.

"How far's the bus stop?" Sirius asked, vigorously rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

"10 minute walk, tops," said Mike, packing his towel into a bag.

"Let's head out then," said James, letting out a yawn. "Padfoot and I need to be getting back as well. We have a Port Key in half an hour. Dany, you done?"

"Yeah- oh bugger!" The sole of her sneaker had just come off and she cursed at it inwardly. "Shite. This will take a few minutes. You lot go ahead. Mike knows the route. I'll catch the next bus. You shouldn't miss your Port Key."

"You sure?" asked James, uncertainly.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved her hand distractedly, already taking off her shoe to examine.

"Can't you use magic?" asked Sirius.

"No. Firstly, I'm still not of age. And secondly, this is a muggle neighborhood. It's prohibited."

"Right. Let's get going." Mike impatiently gestured for them to get going.

It took Dany about 15 minutes to get her shoe fixed. Luckily, she knew where there were kits on the school ground. It was starting to get dark, the sun having set a while back. SHe started off towards the bus stop, slightly wary of any strange movements. Halfway to the bus stop, she realised that someone was following her. Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw that it was the man from earlier. He had a determined look in his eyes and was slowly gaining pace. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something shining in his jacket pocket and her heart nearly stopped when she realised that it was a gun.

There was a small gas station to her right and she walked towards it, popping into the refuel store inside it. Her breathing was laboured as she walked around the shop trying to act normal. She hoped that the man would give up and leave. She waited for a few minutes and went out, choosing a different route to the bus stop. In her haste to avoid him, she didn't look where she was going and ran head first into someone.

Slightly disoriented, she looked up and was shocked to meet the grey eyes of Sirius Black. He gave her an easy grin before his expression changed into one of concern.

"I'm being followed." She whispered to him and his eyes immediately shot to the street behind her. "He's a muggle but he has a gun."

"I'll just show him what happens to wankers who stalk people," growled Sirius.

"No! You can't use any magic! I told you this is a strictly muggle neighborhood!" Her voice was an urgent whisper and he put back his wand reluctantly. "Merlin that's him! He can't see me!"

Dany pressed herself into the wall of an adjacent alley, trying her best to just melt into it. Sirius looked conflicted for a moment, clearly wanting to go after the guy. But then, he turned and walked over to where she was standing, placing his hands on the wall on either side of her face. He loomed over her, his face dangerously close to hers. Dany felt herself go weak at his proximity, struggling hard to keep her knees from collapsing on her. They remained like that for a while, Sirius pinning her to the wall and also effectively blocking her from view. This way, it just looked like a random guy was getting it on with some random girl.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sirius' eyes darted to his right and he let out a deep breath.

"He's gone." He stared into her eyes intently as he said that. She could barely register what he was saying, her eyes flitting treacherously to his lips ever so often.

Finally, he pushed himself off the wall and gave her some much needed space and apparently also the return of her cognitive abilities.

"Thanks for that," she mumbled, her voice sounding oddly hoarse.

He nodded his head, looking away from her. His mind was swimming with images of her face - he had been so close that he could see every detail so clearly. The slight dent on the bridge of her nose, her beautiful brown eyes, her slightly parted lips - the lower one decidedly fuller than the upper.

"Bugger! You've missed your Port Key!" She exclaimed, looking extremely agitated.

* * *

 **What did you think? Does it do anything for the story? I will definitely be looking into Mike in the future chapters so don't worry about that. Any other questions/feedback/suggestions?**

 **Hope you guys review this time as well! Cheers xxx**


	12. Discotheque Juliet

**A/N- Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time. I love reading the comments. It's super exciting and the best kind of validation :P So I'm back with the next chapter. Continuing from where Sirius and James stumbled onto Dany's family by mistake. Let's see what happens.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

His hands glided under her top, his touch feather-like on her skin. He sat down on the bed and kissed her belly button gently. She shivered at the action, her hands clutching his shoulders for support. He continued to place butterfly kisses along her waist and hip bone, making her arch into him. Heat pooled between her legs, and she let out a soft moan as he grazed the tip of his nose along her bare skin, her top riding up to make place for him. His hands moved up her back, tracing patterns just below the strap of her bra. Her resolve was slipping and she lifted his head up to-

"Fuck."

That was the most vivid dream she had ever experienced. And it was a wet dream that involved Sirius. Merlin, why. She took off the covers and let out a deep breath. Her skin still felt hot and her heartbeat was still racing. The only bit of solace she could get from this entire incident was that dreams weren't literal. They were highly symbolic and the actual thoughts that filled one's unconscious were open to interpretation. Which meant that she didn't actually want to shag…

"Ugh!" She fell back into bed, remembering the horror that had been dinner that night.

Once she and Sirius had finally returned, her parents had insisted that he and James stay the night as the creation of another Port Key would take a few hours at least. Which meant that she would have to endure this utterly awkward situation for the remainder of the night and however long it would take for them to leave the next day.

Dinner was only awkward for her, apparently. Michael would oscillate between irritated and excited, her parents were mainly curious about pureblood culture, while James and Sirius looked like they belonged there. It was frightfully annoying that those two made her feel so out of place at her own house.

After eating, Michael had declared that their father show James and Sirius his enviable collection of music. Dany sighed in relief and went to help her mother clear up.

"They're nice boys." She knew her mother would bring up the topic eventually.

"Hmm."

"James is such a sweet boy. So charming and friendly. He must be really popular."

"He is. He's captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team," she replied, washing the dishes intently.

"Ah! He seems like someone who could lead a team well." Silence followed, but Dany knew that her mother was just steering the conversation in a particular direction. "And what about Sirius? Is he popular? A handsome young boy like him."

Dany busied herself with a particularly stubborn bit of food stuck in the pan, keeping her expression neutral and her eyes firmly on the sink. "He's also very popular. And he's on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as well."

"I see." Once again, the sound of water gushing out of the tap was the only noise in the kitchen. "Such popular boys. Do they have girlfriends?"

There it was. Dany almost let slip a smile at how predictable her mother was. But this was her chance to remain completely poker faced. She couldn't let her mother assume anything about either of the boys. True or not.

"Oh, of course." It's not like she'd ever find out that James had an all-consuming, decreasingly one-sided infatuation with Lily Evans, and Sirius had a reputation as a bit of a ladies' man and had never really had a proper girlfriend.

"Ah."

This was followed by a few painful minutes of watching her family interact with one half of the Marauders, after which her father declared that it was time for everyone to call it a night. James and Sirius were given the guest room and Dany hovered about for a bit to make sure they had whatever they needed.

"Your parents are brilliant for letting us stay the night, Dany." James grinned at her while she took out an extra pillow and blanket for them.

"It's nothing. Don't worry." Weird anxiety was knotting her stomach. She just wanted to get back to her room.

"How's your gran?"

Dany smiled in spite of herself. Trust James to remember. "She's doing much better. Thanks for asking, James."

"I would have asked too if you had told me about your gran." Sirius had come out of the loo after brushing his teeth and changing into one of her father's old pajamas. He smiled at her teasingly.

"I didn't tell anyone else. I wasn't planning on telling James either. He just-"

"Just pulling your leg," he said with an easy grin.

"Right." That blasted flush was back again. Meanwhile, James looked between her and Sirius and smirked.

"I'll see you both in the morning. Good night," she said, not waiting for further opportunities to embarrass herself.

"Sweet dreams." James called after her.

And what dreams they had been! Dany flushed again as she made her way to the dining room. Stupid, stupid hormones or whatever the fuck these things were! She was glad to see that both boys had finished breakfast and were waiting for their Port Key.

"We'll see you back at school, Dany, Mike." James grinned at her and waved to the others. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson."

"It was a pleasure meeting you both," said her mother with a warm smile while her father nodded his head in agreement.

"Take care." Sirius said this to the room in general, but he caught Dany's eye for the briefest of moments.

And with a whirl, they were gone.

* * *

Easter break was gone just like that and Dany found herself trudging back into Gryffindor Tower, bags in tow. Not that she didn't like Hogwarts. It was just…

"Dany…" Lily stood at the entrance, her mouth slightly open and her expression conflicted. Dany realised that it was time.

"Lils, I want to apologise. For losing my cool that day. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't hav-"

"No," Lily hesitated, biting her lip. "It's alright. You were right. I was… being a bitch. And I'm grateful to you for making me see that."

"Oh." Dany didn't know what to say. She hadn't thought that Lily would say something like this. It was completely unexpected. "Right. Well. Alright. I'm just going to put my stuff back."

"Dany?" She turned back towards Lily and was caught off guard by the redhead engulfing her in a tight embrace. "Glad you're back."

* * *

The odd thing about friendship was that a small tiff felt like the end of the world, and a tiny reconciliation seemed to open up doors to endless possibilities. And that's exactly how Lily and Dany felt after Easter break.

Lily Evans had managed to get her priorities straight in the short time she and Dany had fallen out and during this time, she had realised that her feelings for James Potter were far from abhorrent. In fact, she rather believed that they might be described as rather, erm, sexual. Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone, but it felt good to finally stop denying things to herself.

Daniella Wilson, on the other hand, had decided to stop feeling skittish around Sirius and just talk to him like a regular person. All they had done was snog once in the heat of the moment. It wasn't something that could potentially destroy any kind of coherent social communication between her and Sirius. Or rather, she wouldn't let it be. It wasn't worth it. And she didn't particularly like feeling self-conscious round the clock.

And so it happened that the first Potions class of the week had Slughorn introduce the final project for the sixth years.

"This is arguably the most challenging part of your Hogwarts Potions career," he said with a chuckle. A few loyal Slug Clubbers followed with appreciative laughs. "You and your partner are to brew any Potion of your choice from the NEWTs syllabus. Although that doesn't leave you with very many choices, I'm afraid."

This time no one laughed along, the distressing prospect of completing an exceedingly difficult Potion in 2 months clearly daunting everyone.

"What are we going to do?"

Dany lifted her head from her book and saw Sirius looking at her intently. Remembering her earlier resolution, she squashed any urge to throw up and pointed to the chapter she was reading.

"Polyjuice." Sirius frowned as he read through the ingredients. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah. Unless you had something else in mind?"

He shook his head and she began drawing up a list of tasks required to be completed before the Potion was started. She could feel his eyes on her and after a while looked at him inquiringly.

"What happened to your gran?" he asked, leaning in towards her so that no one else could hear. Dany's eyes widened slightly, not expecting this question.

"Oh. Umm, she had pneumonia."

"But she's alright now?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad." The way he said those words made her stomach pirouette and her cheeks heat up. Just two simple words. But in that low, melodious voice of his - it sounded like he had just serenaded her.

"Oh dear! Ms. Wilson, I'm afraid you'll have to stay back and clean up the mess you've caused," said Slughorn, chastisingly, pointing at a large pile of broken glass and spilled ingredients.

"Yes, Professor," she replied, ignoring the guffaws from Marlene and Lily. Apparently, they had seen her walking towards the cupboard with her eyes fixed firmly on her Potions partner, which had inevitably caused a huge ruckus as she collided with the nearest shelf and broken everything that had been on it.

"Dany, you absolute starry-eyed bint," said Marlene, walking up to her after the bell rang. "Watch where you're going next time. I know he's fit, but we can't have you sustaining any injuries because he's your Potions partner, can we?" She grinned and dodged easily as Dany threw a newt's tail at her.

"Stop teasing her, Marls," said Lily, joining them. "Dany, be careful with the glass bits. Some of them are too fine to see but they could prick you. We'll save you a spot at the table. Don't be too late."

Dany grumbled a thanks and began whisking away the wasted ingredients. It didn't take very long because, thankfully, she had run into one of the emptier shelves. There were a few tiny shards of glass scattered here and there, which she had kept for last. She used one of the spells Lily had taught her in fourth year when she had broken a couple of bottles during class. It was a useful spell and soon the place was completely clean. She got up and turned around only to almost fall down in surprise at the sight of Sirius waiting for her at the door.

"Done?" His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow and he had taken off his grey jumper, which was now hanging from his satchel.

"What're you doing?" she asked, feeling slightly disoriented.

"Hurry up or we won't get any food. Come on," he said, ignoring her question and walking into the classroom. His eyes flickered to her head and a puzzled frown graced his handsome features. "You've got glass in your hair," he said, softly. "Hold on, I'll get it."

Ever so gently, he parted her hair and whispered a spell which blew a cool breeze through her scalp. Once satisfied that her hair was glass-free, he looked at her and smirked.

"What?" she asked, touching her hair self-consciously.

"Your hair looked pretty good with the glass reflecting the sunlight," he said, his smirk widening. "Kind of like one of those disco balls that are becoming so popular. In fact," he continued, his voice lowering as he leaned closer to her. "I would've preferred that if it weren't such a hazard."

"Lunch. Come on," he said, leaning away and grabbing her hand. "I'm starving."

And so was she, Dany realised, as her stomach growled. But it was nothing compared to her heart beating frantically as Sirius ran to the Great Hall, his hand still clutching hers.

* * *

 **I wanted to stop here. I could have continued but I thought this was a good enough place what with such a huge jump in location from the beginning to the end of the chapter.**

 **As always, please review! And all suggestions are welcome! Cheers xxx**


	13. The Criminality of Kitchen Visits

**A/N- New chapter! Yay! Thank you for the reviews last time! I LOVE reading them** **❤️**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"So…"

Dany had been preparing herself for this conversation ever since her Potions mishap at the beginning of the week. Marlene and Lily were sitting at the foot of her bed, looking at her expectantly.

"So…?" Dany repeated with a slight change in inflection.

"You and Sirius huh?" Marlene looked far too smug for Dany's liking.

"Me and Sirius what? Potions partners? That is correct. Ever since the beginning of the year, actually. I'm shocked it took you so long to notice, Marls."

Marlene scoffed and chucked a Niffler shaped cushion at her. "Bint. That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean, then?" asked Dany, snuggling with the cushion.

"You too look awfully chummy these days. Fess up. What's going on?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about, Marls." This time, a cushion came at her from Lily's direction, shaped like a blue heart. "Lils? What the fuck?"

"Why don't you tell us?" Lily Evans had an oddly determined look in her eyes.

"There's nothing to say," replied Dany with a sigh. "It's the Potions assignment and the fact that we all hang out together much more. There are just more situations for us to talk."

Neither girl looked convinced but dropped the subject nonetheless. Dany locked herself in the loo, taking a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. What in Merlin's name was happening?

* * *

"Today we shall be practising Human Transfiguration. If Mr. Potter and Mr. Black will permit us to concentrate on the lesson by ceasing their incessant tomfoolery." The vein on McGonagall's forehead was looking particularly pronounced. Sirius and James just grinned at her and stopped doing whatever they had been doing. "Now, each of you are sharing a seat with someone. This person shall be your partner for today. I will be appointing permanent partners depending on how you perform. Your task will be to change your partner's hair color. Please focus on a color distinctly different from your partner's original hair color and perform the spell we read about last week. Begin."

Marlene turned towards Dany, grinning at her widely. "So what color would you like, Dany?"

"Nothing neon, thanks," she replied with a laugh.

"Gotcha. I'm leaning towards a fuschia, myself." Marlene wiggled her eyebrows and prepared herself for the spell.

It was no mystery that Transfiguration was one of the most difficult branches of magic that existed. And NEWTs level Transfiguration was borderline torture. It was a blessing that they had someone like McGonagall teaching them, otherwise, Dany knew that there would have been several casualties before the end of the first week. Even then, the class wasn't doing spectacularly at this particular spell.

" _Crinus Muto_." Dany concentrated on the vivid pink color that Marlene had suggested. Nothing. Not even a change at the tip of a single strand.

Marlene hadn't fared much better. She was trying in vain to get Dany's jet black hair to show some sort of change. Lily and Dorcas were in front, their wand movements getting more and more aggressive. The only people who appeared to be having no trouble whatsoever, were James and Sirius. In fact, by the end of the week, both boys had successfully changed each other's eyebrows into vivid shades of orange and purple. This only encouraged Lily to try harder, and with severe sleep deprivation showing on her usually flawless complexion, she managed to change three of her eyelashes to a bright blue. Although, by the time she left class, she was so exhausted that she slept through the rest of her classes that day.

"Lily's way too competitive," whispered Dany, when Flitwick wasn't looking. The redhead in question resembled a lump of flaming hair resting on a rather soggy piece of parchment.

"I think it's James that brings out this side of her," replied Remus, eyeing the drool warily. "She's usually much more easygoing."

"Merlin! She's like a leaking tap." Sirius had joined the conversation from behind the two of them. Dany pursed her lips, trying to hold back a giggle. "Did she sleep at all last night?"

Dany shook her head, turning only when she saw Flitwick busy at the other end of the class. "She hasn't slept in the last three days trying to master the Transfiguration spell."

"She's that worked up about it? Godric! She needs to calm her farm." Dany raised an eyebrow at Sirius' bizarre phrase. "You know what I mean."

"Anyway," he continued. "It's not like everyone else has mastered it. But you don't see them forsaking sleep because of that."

"Are you really daft? Or are you just so spectacularly sarcastic that it flies over the heads of us lesser mortals?" Remus snorted ungracefully at Dany's remark, while Sirius just narrowed his eyes at her.

Dany decided to work in the library after classes that day. She still hadn't progressed with Human Transfiguration, and the comment by Sirius during Charms had just stung a little more than she would have liked. So she thought it would be helpful to hit the books. Surprisingly, she found Remus and Peter there as well.

"Wotcher Remus, Peter." The two boys looked up from their books and waved her over.

"What're you lot doing here, then?" she asked, peering into her own book.

"Human Transfiguration," said Peter with a groan.

"Really? I thought you guys would have no trouble with that," said Dany, feeling slightly prickly.

"That's James and Sirius," snorted Remus. "Those two are absolute marvels at Transfiguration. Peter and I are merely 'lesser mortals'." He winked at Dany and she flushed slightly at his reference to her earlier remark to Sirius.

"Minnie doesn't show any favoritism but she's really proud of Prongs and Padfoot," said Peter with a sagely nod. "They might be her best students ever."

"Well, that's… nice." Dany paused for a second. "But it doesn't help me in any way."

"We could study together if you like," said Remus with a chuckle. "Working together might help."

Dany shrugged noncommittally. At this point, she was willing to take whatever she got. And surprisingly, she really liked studying with the other half of the Marauders. She already quite liked Remus, and Peter was really sweet and funny once he got over his initial nerves. While with James and Sirius, it was like witnessing everything on center stage, here she felt like she was relaxing in the lounge, no pressure and nothing even remotely extroverted. And she didn't feel as exhausted as she did when she had to hang out with the others.

It was on their third day studying together that Dany was able to make some progress.

" _Crinus Muto_." Dany gasped as the ends of Peter's light eyebrows changed into a bright green. "I did it! I can't believe I finally managed this! This is incredible!"

She squealed in delight but quickly settled down when she saw Madam Pince nearby. Miming an exaggerated scream, she hugged Peter tightly and the blond boy flushed slightly.

"Thank you both so much," she whispered, leaning over to hug Remus. "I would have taken so much longer without you both."

The next Transfiguration class saw everyone assigned permanent partners for the rest of the year. Dany was put next to Remus and she grinned at him happily. Lily was with Benjy Fenwick - a Ravenclaw, while James sat with Mary. Dorcas and Marlene were partners, as were Sirius and Peter.

"I will now ask each pair to perform the spell we have been working on these past few weeks," said McGonagall, eyeing everyone sternly. "Please begin, Mr. Fenwick."

Benjy flushed as he wasn't able to change Lily's flaming red hair to anything remotely different. Lily, on the other hand, changed both of his eyebrows to different colors - green and blue. McGonagall nodded and handed Gryffindor 5 points for the impressive bit of Transfiguration. Next came Remus and Dany. Taking a deep breath, Dany concentrated and changed Remus' sandy hair into a delightful magenta. Remus, in turn, gave the tips of her hair a silvery tinge. James transfigured half of Mary's hair blue and the other half green, earning 5 points from McGonagall and a furious glare from Lily. Mary was much more hesitant and only succeeded in making James' jet black hair a dark brown. Dorcas and Marlene were both successful as well, each giving the other pink eyebrows. Finally, it was Peter's turn. Sirius had changed his friend's normally blond hair into a zigzag of red and black with a lazy flick of his wand, receiving 10 more points for Gryffindor. Dany watched with bated breath as Peter swallowed nervously. With a low but confident chant, he waved his wand and Sirius' hair changed into a pale green. McGonagall nodded her head and walked to the front of the class while Sirius and James clapped Peter on the back. Dany caught his eye and flashed him a wide smile, to which Peter flushed in pleasure and grinned back nervously.

* * *

Sirius watched Peter and Dany's exchange curiously. Since when had the two of them become such good friends. He knew that Dany didn't just go around sending such smiles in any random direction - those were reserved for people she knew well. He had been on the receiving end of a couple of those smiles, so he knew how rare they were. Once the bell rang for the end of class, he was about to walk after her when James pulled him aside and handed him the map before running off.

Luckily, Sirius could make up for lost time by seeing where Dany was headed on the map. He gave it a quick tap and ran in the direction of the library.

"I see you've made a new friend." She turned to face him and her initial look of surprise dissolved into a grin.

"I have…?" She gave him a delightfully bewildered look.

"Didn't know you and Pete were so close," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "He practically wet himself when you smiled at him in class today."

Her mouth dipped down into a slight frown. "Careful. Or people might say you sound like a arse."

"I just… didn't know you two were friends," he added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Remus, Peter and I studied the spell together. So."

"I see."

Sirius chanced a look in her direction. She didn't look angry. But the buoyancy in her walk had faded. And for some reason, that bothered Sirius.

"Where are you off to?" She gave him a puzzled look and pointed towards the library a few feet ahead of them. "Right. Well, bugger that. Let's go to the kitchens. I'm starving."

"Go ahead." She raised an eyebrow at him and pointed him in the direction of the kitchens.

"Come with me."

"What? Why?"

"Come on! All we've been doing these days is study! Let's get some nice desserts from the elves!" He gave her one of his dazzling smiles - the kind that nobody was able to resist. His face didn't betray the nervousness he felt as she contemplated his offer.

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I don't understand why you're so persistent, though."

"How about you try not over analyzing everything?" He smirked at her as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Come on!"

* * *

"You mean there's an entire series dedicated to the Joker?" Dany's mouth flew open in surprise as Peter nodded his head excitedly.

"Yeah, they started it just about a year ago," he said, explaining a few details to her. "But it's pretty fantastic. I could lend it to you if you'd like."

"Yes! I'd love that, Peter!" Dany threw up her hands in excitement, earning a few stares from the common room.

"Been eating too much chocolate lately?" asked Marlene, sitting down beside them. "It's not everyday we see you so excited, Dany."

Dany flushed in embarrassment and kicked Marlene lightly. "Pete's going to lend me a few of his comic books! He's got a stellar collection, Marls."

"Comics?" asked Marlene, doubtfully. "They're alright, I guess."

"'Alright'? Marls! These are about the Joker!" Marlene stared at her like she had sprouted a couple of heads. "The Joker! You know - he's only the greatest supervillain ever created!"

"Huh?"

"They're like arch enemies of superheroes - these characters who have special abilities, kind of like witches and wizards but in muggle culture," explained Peter.

"Oh! That does sound interesting. I wouldn't mind having a look at one of these comic things one day," she declared with a grin.

"Really? I brought a couple back with me. You can see them now. Hold on. I'll pop up to the dorm and get it!" Peter got up excitedly, and rushed off to the boys' dorm.

"So Peter is a geek as well. I should have known." Marlene chuckled to herself while Dany shoved her lightly in the shoulder. "But seriously, I did think you had a sugar rush. You've been visiting the kitchens a lot lately. With Sirius," she added, cheekily.

"Twice, actually," replied Dany, rolling her eyes. "Sirius is rather annoying really. Just refuses to get something to eat on his own. I mean, he's the one who's 'starving his beautiful arse off'! His words, not mine," she explained when Marlene gave her a quizzical look.

"Hmm," said Marlene, but wasn't able to continue because Peter was back with a couple of issues of _Batman_.

* * *

"Back from the kitchens again?" asked Marlene. Dany glowered at her as she gave her an exaggerated wink.

"Taken to stating the obvious, McKinnon?" retorted Dany, looking pointedly at the stack of food in Sirius' arms.

"Taken to sarcasm much, Wilson?" Marlene countered with a smirk.

"She is in rather illustrious company," said Sirius, stroking his stubble free chin in contemplation. "Guess I've rubbed off on her more than I thought."

"Have you now?" Marlene, wagged her eyebrows suggestively, though it went unnoticed to everyone other than Dany. "So Sirius, has James gotten the date for the final match yet?" She diverted the conversation after receiving a particularly dirty look from Dany.

"Umm… No." Sirius appeared a little sheepish, as if he had been caught daydreaming in class (ironic, because he never looked like that when he was actually caught daydreaming in class). "So, uh, when's the next Potions date?" he asked Dany. Fortunately, or unfortunately, James walked in through the portrait hole at that point, diverting Sirius' attention for the time being.

"Shut it, McKinnon. Or things will get messy in the dorm," hissed Dany, taking this opportunity to elbow her smirking friend in the ribs.

"Marls! The final is on 7th May. McGonagall pulled me out of class to tell me that," said James, his hair even more untidy than usual. Honestly, the boy needed to consider investing in a comb.

"Brilliant!" Marlene grinned at him, but her face suddenly turned thoughtful. "Hang on. That was two hours ago. Minnie needed two whole hours to tell you the date of the final?"

"Don't be daft, Marls!" laughed James. "Had to visit good ol' Hooch to fix up practice times and got to chatting about the World Cup in the summer."

"Who does she think is going to win this time?" asked Marlene, perking up at the mention of the World Cup.

"Wales." James snorted as he sat down by the fire.

"She's always been biased," said Marlene, rolling her eyes. "She'll never concede that the Scots have a fighting chance."

"Dearest Marls," said James, with a patronising grin. "I daresay you're the one who's biased. The Scots barely scraped through qualifiers this time."

Dany watched in amusement as James continued to tease Marlene about her staunch Scottish pride. She had no particular inclinations towards national teams. She had only ever loved Puddlemere, and her loyalties were far too stringent to extend to a different level of competition. Feeling nudge on her left side, she turned to see Sirius staring at her intently.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You never answered my question," he said, his silver eyes dancing in the light from the fire.

"Your ques- Oh! Right," she said, remembering their Potions assignment. "Friday will be 21 days completed. So we need to continue then. After dinner should be good. But it'll take about two hours to finish the next step. Can you handle that?"

"I can handle everything, love." He winked at her and rejoined the Quidditch conversation, leaving Dany slightly bewildered and extremely flustered.

* * *

 **Haha! Poor Dany. The Marauders can be a bit much sometimes. I wanted to have more of Peter in this story because honestly, its just too easy to simply cast him off as some pathetic side character. How did you like his bit in this chapter? Let me know. Along with any other thoughts you have on the chapter/story.**

 **Cheers xxx**


	14. Exposing His Thing, Eh?

**A/N- Hey hey! Another chapter for yah! Loved the reviews last time as well 3 Keep 'em comin' people! This is slightly shorter but has a lot of Sirius stuff ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Where's Lils?" Marlene looked up and down the Great Hall, searching for the unmistakable head of red hair. Dinner had started ten minutes ago and the Gryffindor prefect was nowhere to be seen.

"I think she had a meeting," shrugged Dorcas, taking a bite of chicken. "But I don't know how long that was supposed to go on for."

"There she is!" Dany looked up to where Marlene was pointing. Lily walked in, looking a little tired and sat down beside Mary, opposite Dorcas.

"Sorry I'm late. Had to break up a scuffle on my way back from the meeting," she muttered, loading her plate with mashed potatoes. "Stupid fourth years. Hexing each other." She cast a dark look in James' direction as she said that.

"What did I do? I was here! Eating chicken!" James raised both his arms in surrender, gazing at the others for support.

"I know," sighed Lily. "But I can't help but feel it's your legacy which is causing this."

"We are an inspiration," said Sirius, running a hand through his hair and tousling it perfectly. "Can you blame anyone?"

"How does your neck manage to bear the weight of your humongously big head?" asked Remus, gazing into the air in contemplation. "Is that why you moan at night, Pads? Because of your sore neck?"

Everyone burst into laughter as Sirius sported an affronted look. Remus just smirked at his friend and went back to eating. James had almost fallen off the bench, he was laughing so much, while Marlene was begging Remus for a more vivid description of Sirius' nightly activities.

"Anything he moans in particular?" Marlene leaned towards Sirius suggestively. "Or rather, anyone?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge that Marly," said Remus with a sigh. "We do abide by a code of honor and as much as he annoys me, I could never betray Pads."

Sirius smirked at this and shot a wink in Marlene's direction. "Sorry, love. Moony's my pal first, and master blackmailer second."

"But if he does get too annoying…" Remus left the sentence unfinished, raising his eyebrows knowingly.

"I'd watch yourself, if I were you, Pads. Moony's not kidding," said James, adopting a mock serious tone. "And you know how Moony gets when people annoy him."

"Okay, now I'm very interested," said Dorcas, looking at James with a grin. "How does Remus get when people annoy him?"

"Let's just say the glitter fiasco of '74 wasn't a Slytherin sabotage." James looked at all of them knowingly.

"That is bollocks!" yelled Marlene, looking like Christmas had come early. "Remus, you utter genius! Where do I sign up for expressing my utter and incandescent admiration?"

Dany snorted loudly at Marlene's declaration and Remus' obvious embarrassment. Sirius and James were laughing like idiots, banging their fists on the table. Lily just looked on in defeat, wondering what she had done to deserve this.

* * *

Oddly enough, Sirius kept popping up wherever Dany went. It was barely noticeable at first (Sirius was rather good at the stealth stuff when he wanted to be) but then Dany realised that she had barely made it an hour without bumping into him or chatting with him or just having him around.

It felt uncanny and she wanted to talk to someone about it. She couldn't talk to Scott - she felt oddly self-conscious. That left either Marlene or Lily. And since Marlene's exaggerated winks were still fresh in her memory, she decided to go for Lily.

It was a Thursday. Which meant that Lily would be on patrol. She knew which places Lily had been assigned because of the neverending complaints she had had to hear about James creating havoc in her vicinity.

"That toerag was hexing a student right around the corner!" Her face was red with fury and indignation. "And then he had the utter gall to strut about like it had all been for my benefit!"

Dany chuckled to herself, remembering just how easy it was for James to rile up Lily. But recently, they had been getting along a bit better. Which basically meant that James wasn't doing stupid, attention-seeking things in front of Lily, and Lily wasn't spending the better part of the day contemplating the horrors of James Potter's existence. It was a pleasant change.

Rounding the corner, she walked straight into a solid mass of something. Looking up, she caught sight of a familiar pair of grey eyes, twinkling at her mischievously.

"What brings you here?" He asked, a smirking lifting up the corner of his mouth. He had a toothpick in between his lips, which looked oddly sexy.

"You have a toothpick in your mouth…" He grinned at her statement. She noticed that his tie was loosely knotted and the first button of his white Oxford shirt undone.

"Very astute observation," he said, leaning towards her slightly while keeping his hands in his pockets. "No wonder you're top of the class."

"Bugger off!" She said with a laugh and shoved him lightly. He leaned back slightly and rocked back towards her. It was utterly silly but Dany found herself giggling at his ridiculous antics.

"I don't think I will," he said with that annoying smirk on his face. "Let's head back to the common room. Come on."

Dany didn't remember why she had been out wandering in the first place. As usual, all rational thoughts exited her mind at breakneck speed when Sirius took her hand and sprinted back towards the Fat Lady's portrait.

By the time she remembered that she had been looking for Lily and the reason for her search had been the person currently sprawled out on the red common room sofa, smirking at her like he knew something she didn't.

"Why did you drag me back here?" Her eyebrows were impressively raised and he cocked his head up to answer her question.

"Not everything has a reason, dear Juliet," he replied, flopping back into the sofa.

"'Juliet'? What?" Her cheeks started to tinge a light pink as she waited for him to explain.

"Thought you knew your Shakespeare. Or are you more into that Marlowe chap?"

"O-of course I know Shakespeare!" she spluttered. "But why 'Juliet'?"

"She's one of the greatest female characters written by the bloke, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but she was also one half of a star-crossed pair of lovers. Who both died tragically because - frankly! Because of their own stupidity! Bloody buggers!"

Sirius let out a bark of laughter at this and rolled off onto the carpet. Taking off his tie and running a hand through his black hair, he looked up at her with a dazzling grin.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," he said, his eyes twinkling once again. "You do have a way with words, don't you?"

"Why would you call me 'Juliet'? Do you want me to die under tragic circumstances?!" she asked, flailing her arms about impatiently.

"Quite the opposite really." He was gazing at her intently, his voice awfully low and husky. Dany's eyes flickered to his lips for a second, before staring into his eyes of molten silver. She gulped visibly, completely entranced by the beautiful boy sitting in front of her. "As for Juliet, it's rather a pretty name. But an even better nickname. And I realised that I didn't have one for you," he breathed, his eyes locked with hers.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were following me," Dany whispered, not really being able to focus on anything but his molten gaze in front of her.

"Padfoot!"

Dany jerked at the shout and promptly fell off the sofa, landing with a thump on her arse. Sirius, too, looked slightly disoriented and frowned before heaving himself off the floor and following James up the stairs to the boy's dorm.

Dany let out a long sigh, feeling her heartbeat at a galloping pace under her palm.

* * *

Marlene was sitting in a corner of the common room, legs tucked under herself, as Dany whispered to her frantically. Apparently, Sirius had been behaving weirdly the entire day. It was like he was avoiding her. Her friend was worried because they had to finish an important part of their Potions project that night.

"I don't even know if he'll show up tonight, Marls." Dany threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"Okay, just run me by everything that happened yesterday," she replied, placing a calming hand on her friend's shoulder.

"It's like I said, I was looking for Lils and he showed up. Dragged me back to the common room and gave me an utterly ridiculous nickname - Juliet! _Why_ would anyone use 'Juliet' as a nickname? I mean- Sorry. Back to the story. Then, umm... I was grilling him about the nickname and whether he wanted me to die tragically, and then he went all mysterious and said some load of bollocks." Marlene suppressed a grin at the sight of Dany's cheeks flushing slightly at this point. "Then, er, then I think I said that it seemed like he was following me. But - "

"Merlin! You said what? You caught his bluff, Dany!" Marlene fell back into her chair, laughing. "I mean, Sirius prides himself on being smooth as butter and suave like nobody's business. It's his thing. You basically exposed his thing!"

"Whose thing did you expose, Dany?" James walked up to them with a obnoxious grin on his face. Remus, Lily and Sirius were right behind him, looking curious.

"Sirius'." Dany flushed red and smacked Marlene on her shoulder.

"Bint," she muttered, trying hard to get her face back to a normal color.

"When did this interesting development occur?" asked James, cheekily. Dany could see Remus suppressing a smirk, while Lily's expression was caught between indignance and amusement. Sirius, on the other hand, looked absolutely delighted.

"Sod off, Potter!" Dany huffed and picked up the book she had brought down, bringing it in front of her face and effectively blocking out everyone from her line of vision. She was trying very hard to get her heart beating at a normal pace again, hoping to drain the deep red flush that had undoubtedly tinged her cheeks.

She heard vague shuffling around her and breathed out in relief. Feeling a little calmer, she opened her eyes and recoiled upon finding someone leaning over her. Someone with grey eyes, beautiful cheekbones and perfectly tousled hair framing his smirking face.

"You've been on the same page for the past ten minutes," he said, his amusement clearly evident.

"So? Not everyone reads at an obnoxiously fast pace like you," she countered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"With your eyes shut."

Mortified beyond imagination, Dany flung her book at him. "Wanker!"

"I'll see you tonight!" Sirius called after her retreating figure, his smirk now full-blown and devastatingly irresistible.

* * *

 **:D What'd ya think? *waits patiently for 3 seconds* REVIEW PLEASE! Cheers xxx**


	15. The Fault Is Not In Our Stars

**A/N- So I realised that I had unwittingly built up the Friday potions session between Dany and Sirius. And now I'm terrified that it's not going to live up to expectations. I didn't intend to make it such a big deal. Everything else in the chapter was built up tho. So.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 _ **The Fault is Not in our Stars, but in Ourselves.**_

"Lils, are you done with your Potions project?" Dany leaned across the table, looking at her friend expectantly.

"What's with the tone, Wilson?" Lily asked, not looking up from her notes. "You sound like Remus after James and Sirius have created havoc."

"I do not!" spluttered Dany. "I just need to borrow your cauldron. Your copper one. Polyjuice takes less time to brew in a copper cauldron."

"Is that it?" smirked Lily. "Yeah, of course you can borrow it. Dunno why you sounded so sheepish."

"Excuse me for being polite!" Dany narrowed her eyes at her friend who just snorted at her expression and went back to her work.

Suddenly, there was a huge commotion in the common room. Lily and Dany looked up to find Sirius sprawled on the floor, wailing loudly. Alarmed, they both got up to see what had happened. James had rushed over to his best friend, looking incredibly worried.

"Godric! What's wrong, Sirius?" he asked, urgently.

"I just… get so emotional…" Sirius hiccuped. "Because so many people think…" James gave him an encouraging look. "They think that I care about their opinions! B-but… I DON'T! I don't give a fuck! I really just don't care!"

James' face fell for a second before tackled Sirius with all his might. This caused Sirius to wail even more loudly about the tragic betrayal he had faced at the hands of his best friend. All in all, they continued wrestling on the common room floor (spurred on by the onlookers) until Lily got fed up and Bat Bogey-ed them both. Remus hadn't gotten up from his place beside the fireplace, nodding his head absentmindedly when Lily hexed his friends, and scribbling a few last minute changes to his Charms essay. Peter had very wisely stayed out of all this and peered out from the boys' dorm when the noise had died down. Receiving a go-ahead from Remus, he came back down and resumed his Herbology reading.

"That was uncalled for…" muttered James, glaring at no one in particular. "Pads, you're an arse."

"Don't blame me because you got into trouble with Evans," said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "I was being serious."

Dany caught the faint smirk on his lips as he said this and groaned in frustration. Catching her reaction, Sirius nudged her leg with his and winked at her when she looked at him.

"You need to stop with the name puns," she whispered to him.

"Can't do that, love," he replied, leaning towards her so that he was whispering in her ear. "It's a classic."

"At least you're done with that ridiculous nickname from yesterday," breathed Dany, looking away from him.

"Oh! That's cruel!" Sirius let out a bark of laughter, his face lighting up as he did. "And what makes you think that I'm done with that name? Maybe, I'm just waiting for the right moment to introduce it to the public, _Juliet_." He whispered the last part into her ear, making her shiver slightly.

"I'll see you tonight." He smirked at her and got up, leaving with James and Remus.

"Tosser," muttered Dany, her cheeks flaming.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Dany! That must be the reason!" Marlene bounded up and down as she and Dany walked down for dinner. Lily had stayed behind to finish up the prefect rosters with Remus.

"It's just a little unbelievable," mused Dany, uncertainly.

"What other reason can there be for Sirius popping up everywhere and spending so much time with you?" Marlene rolled her eyes and stuck out her hip.

"I- uh… I don't know," sighed Dany in defeat. As improbable as she found Marlene's theory that Sirius fancied her and therefore was behaving like this, she was secretly quite pleased. Afterall, it was nice to be liked. And by someone like Sirius - Merlin!

"You know I'm right," said Marlene, tapping her nose knowingly.

"Right about what?" asked Sirius, grinning at them both. He was sitting next to James and Peter, all three of whom were looking at Marlene expectantly.

"Scotland winning this year." Dany breathed a sigh of relief as everyone seemed to buy Marlene's reason. "She doesn't agree."

"Damn right, she doesn't! Dany's not biased like you, Marls! She can call a spade, a spade. Or in this case," said James, looking around with a superior look. "Losers, losers."

"Your vocabulary is astounding." Lily sat down next to Dany, as James immediately started messing up his hair.

"Evans," he acknowledged, his cheeks going slightly pink.

"Careful, Evans," said Sirius with a smirk. "Sarcasm doesn't register for Prongs when it comes from you. He's probably going to pass out of happiness because he thinks you just complimented him."

* * *

Dany waited in the empty classroom, all the ingredients and Lily's copper cauldron ready by her side. She couldn't get Marlene's words out of her head. Could it be true? Was there an ounce of possibility in what she had conjectured? Her cheeks felt hot as her mind ran through all these thoughts. She didn't notice when Sirius had walked in, but nearly jumped out of her skin when his upside down head popped up from above her.

"UGH!" The shock of it all made her lose balance and fall off her chair, causing Sirius to crack up with laughter.

"Merlin's saggy underpants! You have the best reactions!" He guffawed loudly, as she frowned and picked herself off the floor.

"People die of shock. Just so you know," she said, sending him a dirty look.

"So I've heard. But since my parents are still alive after I was sorted into Gryffindor, I'm inclined to disbelieve it," he shrugged. "Let's get to it, shall we?"

Sirius added the fluxweed and knotgrass while Dany stirred the potion clockwise and then waved her wand over it. They needed to wait for an hour before commencing with the next step.

"Going for the World Cup this year?" Sirius asked, rolling up his sleeves and leaning against the wall.

"Umm… I dunno. It's a bit tough seeing as my parents are Muggles. I really want to though."

"Well," smirked Sirius. "I'm sure we can do something about that." A slight frown creased his forehead as he said this, a rare hesitance showing in his eyes. "You, uh- you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but what's the deal with you and Mike?"

Dany's eyebrows shot up. Whatever she had been expecting, it was not this. She stared at him for a few seconds, wondering how best to answer him.

"It's a long story," she sighed. "And difficult to really explain. But I'll try."

"When Mike was born, my parents didn't know about magic. In retrospect, I must have been showing signs but they had no idea about any of this. He, umm… he was really fond of me growing up. We used to play a lot. And then when McGonagall came to give me my letter, he was pretty thrilled. My parents were scared but Mike couldn't contain his joy at the fact that his sister could do magic. By this time, we recognised the signs of magic that Mike was exhibiting as well, which meant that he would probably be joining Hogwarts in a few years. After my first year, I came back and told Mike all about magic and Hogwarts and everything we did here. He was so fascinated. My parents had gotten over their initial fear and were really happy that I had done well in my first year. But then… I think it was around Mike's 8th birthday that things started changing. He wasn't as thrilled to hear about things at Hogwarts, in fact, he once tried to break my wand." She paused here, frowning slightly. "I'm not sure what happened but gradually, he started to find everything about me annoying - my grades, my friends, anything I said or did made him throw a tantrum. Mum and Dad were confused, they didn't know what had gotten into him. So we decided it was better to keep the two of us separated. When he got his Hogwarts letter, I went to his room to congratulate him but he only sneered at me and told me to leave him alone. And well… you know how things are now."

Sirius stared at her, unsure of how to react. She sounded so wistful as she spoke about her brother. Her dark brown eyes flickered with emotion and for some reason, he felt incredibly guilty. Breaking out of her reverie, she laughed awkwardly and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Never one for awkward situations, Sirius put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes dramatically.

"So close," he sighed. "You almost beat me out on the dysfunctional younger sibling dynamic. Almost, but not quite." He opened one eye to catch of glimpse of her reaction and was pleased to notice that she was rolling her eyes and smiling.

"It's so ironic that your name is Sirius because you are rarely ever, dare I say it, 'serious'," Dany commented thoughtfully. "And what is with your weird nickname? 'Padfoot'? What's that supposed to mean anyway?"

"That is privileged information, my dear Juliet," said Sirius with an annoying smirk.

"Prat," Dany muttered, narrowing her eyes at him. "Anyway, how's Quidditch practice going? Ready for Ravenclaw?"

"Don't remind me," groaned Sirius. "Prongs is being a nightmare! I'd say he was possessed, but no spirit would be that insane."

"Is ickle Sirius having a hard time?" Dany giggled as Sirius glared at her with a very poorly disguised look of amusement.

"Oh, it is on!" he declared, rubbing his hands together gleefully. They spent the rest of the time laughing, joking, answering obscure philosophical questions, and attempting to figure out if Dumbledore's beard was real.

By the time they reached the common room, Dany felt exhausted but her eyes were alight with pure joy. She had forgotten how much fun it was spending time with Sirius, and this time she hadn't been wondering about why he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And of course, he was so ridiculously handsome. She had almost gotten caught staring at him a few times while brewing the potion. Each time, it seemed like she found something new about him that just added to his attractiveness. Today, she had discovered that Sirius had a cleft (so subtle you'd miss it if you weren't embarrassingly close to him, which, of course, she had been only accidentally) and that had made her heart skip a rather large beat.

"Goodnight," she said softly, waving at him from the foot of the girl's staircase. He was only a few inches away from her and she caught a whiff of his cologne. It was intoxicating. He was leaning in slowly and she held her breath, wondering if he would actually go through with it after what had happened last time. He was so close… And then he wasn't. Leaning away from her, he let out a huge sigh.

"Goodnight," he said, an inscrutable look on his features. "Juliet."

* * *

Dany woke up the next morning and found that Lily had already left the dorm. She realised that it was time for lunch and hastened to get ready. She was hoping to return Lily's cauldron before the Slug Club demonstration later that evening. She knew that the Gryffindors had Quidditch practice in the morning, so Marlene wasn't around either. She spotted Remus sitting by the fire and asked him whether he had seen Lily.

"Yeah… I think she said something about meeting McGonagall before lunch," he mused, not looking up from his book. "But that was a while back."

"Alright. Thanks Remus!" She chuckled as he had gotten lost in his book again.

McGonagall? Hmm. That probably meant she was somewhere in the Transfiguration wing. It was quite large so the chances of finding her before lunch were slim. Dany groaned and started her search. She hadn't gotten very far when she heard familiar voices around the corner. She was about to go up to them when a few stray bits of conversation made her halt.

"Look, I can't do this anymore, Evans. She doesn't deserve this."

"Please Sirius! Don't say that!"

"I'm sorry. I can't keep distracting her everytime you and Prongs have a snogging session! It's not fair! And she's your best friend. Isn't it about time you tell her about you two?"

"Yeah, Lily. I don't get why we can't tell Dany about us."

"You don't get it, James! I don't want _her_ to find out! She-"

Dany turned the corner, effectively interrupting Lily's tirade. She was frowning and holding Lily's copper cauldron. James looked alarmed to see her while Sirius just looked incredibly upset. Lily, on the other hand, had paled considerably. She attempted to speak but was silenced by Dany's soft, emotionless voice.

"You were distracting me," she glanced at Sirius, who flinched slightly. "So I wouldn't find out about you." Her gaze fell on James and Lily, the former of whom looked incredibly guilty and wasn't making eye contact with Dany. Her eyes lingered briefly on Lily's stricken face, before turning around and leaving.

"Dany! Wait!" Lily yelled after her. "You have to- UGH!" she screamed, barely managing to avoid the cauldron Dany had sent soaring in her direction.

* * *

 **Don't kill me. I will explain more in the next chapter. Lily's bizarre stunt and Sirius' erratic behaviour. Hope you guys like the bit about Mike. More will be revealed later but this is something for now.**

 **Anyway. Please leave your thoughts. I love getting reviews! I even have a couple of regular readers!**

 **Cheers xxx**


	16. Avoiding the Two C's

**A/N- Hey! I'm back. This chapter is a little shorter because I changed the plot line halfway through writing it. Hope you like it! And thank you so much for the reviews in the last chapter. My heart is happy ^.^**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

After an initial stinging of her eyes with hot tears, Dany was replaced with cold fury. Her mind kept going over what she had just heard, her jaw tightening and her fingers digging into her palm. She felt utterly humiliated. She had been played, exposing every little insecurity she had about herself. She didn't know who she hated more at this point - Lily or Sirius. Her best friend who had gone to such extravagant lengths to keep her from finding out that she was dating someone, or the most attractive guy in school who had effectively made her look like a colossal idiot.

Deciding to skip lunch, she ran out towards Hagrid's hut, hoping that she'd get some time alone to think things over. How could she have not realised this? Sirius was interested in her? Of course that wasn't true! She had actually let Marlene's ridiculous speculations get to her. And last night…

"Fucking hell!" She kicked at the ground and threw a large pebble into the Black Lake.

The ripples spread out, slowly dying as the stillness took over. Dany suddenly felt very exhausted. It was time to head back inside but she was dreading it. How was she supposed to avoid people she shared a House and a dorm with? As angry as felt, a lot of it was directed to herself - for being stupid enough to have been tricked like this.

Luckily for her, the girls' dorm was empty, presumably because everyone was still finishing lunch. Dany got into her bed and quickly pulled the curtains, not wanting to interact with anyone - least of all Lily. It wasn't long before the door opened, followed by a very frantic voice.

"Dany? Oh thank god! Dany! Please, let me explain!" Dany could hear Lily pleading through her curtains.

"What's going on?" Marlene, Dorcas and Mary had entered as well, confused by the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Dany, please!" Lily's voice had gone a little higher, and sounded a lot closer.

"Lils, what's wrong?" asked Marlene, sounding worried. "Dany, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Dany, opening her curtains and ignoring Lily. "I missed lunch actually. I need to get something to eat. In the meantime, why don't you ask Lily why Sirius was suddenly so interested in me."

Lily flinched visibly, while Marlene just opened and shut her mouth in confusion. Dany picked up her wand and walked out, working very hard to restrain herself from knocking out Lily. She caught Dorcas' eye for a brief second but couldn't manage to alter her expression into a more pleasant one.

* * *

Six years at Hogwarts and not many people knew about the fifth girl in the Gryffindor dorm shared by Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows and Mary McDonald. Even the ones in the same year as her weren't really aware of Daniella Wilson. Recently, she had become better friends with the Marauders, and she had always been on good terms with the girls she shared a dorm with. This was the reason why no one knew about her temper. No one at school had ever seen Dany angry. In fact, not many people had ever seen Dany angry at all. Except for her parents, her brother and a couple of muggle friends from before Hogwarts.

But now, the Gryffindor 6th years were stumped by this side of her. While Dany was still talking to Marlene, Dorcas, Mary, Remus and Peter, she had taken to completely ignoring Lily, James and Sirius. Additionally, she wouldn't spend as much time in the Gryffindor common room as before. Her preferences had changed to the library and by the lake.

"I still don't understand why you did this, Lils," said Marlene, as they all sat by the fire one evening after Dany had gone up to the dorm. "I don't get why you had to hide your relationship in the first place… But more importantly, why did you ask Sirius to keep her distracted?" She sent a glare towards the grey eyed Marauder who was staring moodily into the fire.

Lily looked incredibly uncomfortable and pale. She had tried to speak to Dany each day in the last week, but to no avail. She knew that what she had done had hurt her much more than she had expected - most of her friends were disappointed in her, but only Marlene was willing to vocalize it.

"I don't think Lily is the only one to blame here," added Remus, looking worn out. "Prongs was part of this as well. And Padfoot? Why would you agree to do something like this?"

James sensed that Lily was on the verge of tears, so he spoke up, "It was stupid. I agree, Moony, we shouldn't have done that. If Dany would just let us apologise…"

"Give her some time to cool off. And then, perhaps," shrugged Marlene.

"The thing is, I've never seen Dany like this," came Dorcas' soft voice. "In all these years, I've never seen her get angry. Annoyed? Sure. But never angry. I dunno, Lils. Maybe you should leave her be for a while."

"That goes for you two as well," said Marlene, sternly, frowning at James and Sirius. "Don't do anything stupid. You'll only make the situation worse."

"I'm going back to the dorm," said Remus, giving the three other boys a meaningful look. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

James dropped a kiss on Lily's head, and sent a halfhearted wave in Marlene and Dorcas' direction. Peter looked exhausted and just followed Remus upstairs. Sirius, however, made no attempts to move.

"Padfoot!" came James' sharp voice from the stairs. Sirius got up unwillingly, a scowl on his forehead. The girls sat about for a bit until Mary came in just before curfew, signalling that it was, indeed, time to retire for the night.

* * *

Dany was late. And McGonagall wouldn't be someone to believe just any excuse - like, oh, I was angry with everyone around me so I stayed up sulking and woke up late, missed breakfast and reached class late. Bugger. She was running through the Transfiguration Courtyard when her bag snapped, sending her books and parchment flying in the air, the ink bottle breaking on the cobbled path.

"Shit."

At times like this, Dany felt her frustration overwhelm her and form a solid lump in her throat. She half wanted to stomp on everything and kick her bag into the Black Lake, but her better sense took over and she sighed, sitting down to clean up the mess.

"Dany?" She looked up at the voice, her face flooding with relief as she smiled at him.

"Scott! Oh thank god it's you!"

"Vandalism?" he asked, arching his eyebrow and helping her out with his wand. "Don't you have class now?"

"I'm running late for Transfiguration," she sighed. "My bag split while I was running."

"You look like shit. Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked, surveying her slowly.

"Kind of. It's complicated."

"Is this related to what happened with Potter, Black and Evans?" Dany nodded her head, letting out a deep sigh. She had told Scott about everything and he had been quite surprised by it all. His advice, however, had been as level-headed and logical as himself - "Take some time to cool off. And let them explain why they did what they did. Don't assume things because you honestly don't know everything that happened."

"Have you spoken to any of them?" he continued.

"No."

"Maybe it's time to try, Dany," he said, giving her a small smile. "It'll make you feel better to know the truth."

As much as she disagreed with him, she nodded her head, hoping to get to class without further delay.

"Don't be a stubborn arse, Dany," Scott called out after her, making her groan.

"Ms. Wilson, I trust you know that tardiness is not excused in my class." McGonagall's stern voice, cut through the silence in the class. "Detention on Thursday at 8pm. I trust you can find your seat without further delay." Dany nodded her head and quickly took her seat next to Remus. "As I was saying, we shall be moving on to Animagi theory today. Please open your books to…"

Dany zoned out, covering her mouth as she let out a huge yawn. Remus was busy, scribbling notes next to her. She rubbed her eyes, feeling very sleepy as McGonagall continued teaching. She really wanted the term to end. It had been a turbulent year and she was just exceedingly fed up with dealing with things around her. She regularly avoided the two C's which had somehow managed to disrupt her life completely - conversation and conflict.

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall's shriek jerked her out of her reverie, as the entire class turned to look at James. He was grinning sheepishly, his wand still in the air. Dany's eyes slowly moved around the room to see what damage the bespectacled boy had inflicted. She let out a tiny gasp as she spotted Peter, who had sprouted whiskers, buck teeth and a very realistic rat's tail.

"Detention! You will join Ms. Wilson in my office this Thursday. Mr. Lupin, please escort Mr. Pettigrew to the Hospital Wing. And Mr. Potter, please hand me your wand for the remainder of this class."

Most of the class was sniggering at Peter's condition, but Dany had a niggling feeling at the back of her mind. Her suspicions were confirmed when James walked back from the teacher's desk after handing over his wand, catching her eye for just long enough to be significant.

* * *

"Sirius! Watch it!' Marlene scowled at her teammate. He had been distracted for the past few practices. Today, he had almost managed to knock her off three times. Clenching his jaw, he just flew away. "James!" shouted Marlene, catching her Captain's attention. "Will you please talk to him? At this rate, I'll be in too many pieces to play the final!"

James nodded his head and called for a time-out. "Drink some water, treat any injuries and be back in 15 minutes," he ordered. Everyone trooped off, Marlene giving him a thumbs up. James sighed and turned to his best friend. "Pads, you need to focus. We can't afford to have any of our players injured. What's wrong? Are you still-"

"It's nothing, Prongs," he replied, running his hand through his hair. "I'll be more careful, don't worry."

"Look, Padfoot," he said, lowering his voice. "I know you're still upset about everything that's happened. I'm sorry for dragging you into this. But I'm going to fix it. As best as I can. And then the rest will be up to you and Lily. Now, please, the match is four days away. Don't decapitate Marls."

Sirius didn't say anything. His eyes were a stormy grey, reflecting the turmoil inside him. It had been two weeks since Dany had found out. Two weeks since she had completely stopped talking to him, James and Lily. And Sirius hated that. It felt like he had been robbed of all his agency. At first, he had been livid with Evans - it was her idea after all. But then, Remus' words had rung in his head and he had realised that whatever reasons Lily may have had, it was his fault for going along with it. And he desperately wanted to fix things. Get back to Potions classes full of whispered conversations and muffled giggles, common room get togethers around the fire, and most importantly, get back to not feeling like an utter twat every time he saw her.

"Alright! We still have 40 minutes of practice left! I want everyone to focus on their game! Come on!" James' voice boomed across the field as everyone shot off into the sky.

* * *

 **Thoughts? Exciting things happening in the next chapter. Stayed tuned.** **And please review!**

 **Cheers xxx**


	17. Conspiracy Theories & Wet Cat Smells

**A/N- Heyyyy! Sorry for the longer gap between chapters. Semester's started once again and I was having trouble wrapping up the end of the chapter. Anyway, I got a lot of lovely reviews in the last chapter and I have to say that I was beyond thrilled! It really is the best thing to read about all your thoughts on the story! Hope you like this chapter as well!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Dany had a bad feeling about the detention. It was too much of a coincidence that James had wound up getting detention moments after her - successfully ensuring that they served whatever punishment together. Her mind ran over various possible reasons, including James being a closet s&m. As progressive as the 70s were, she wasn't very thrilled at the mental image of him in strategically positioned leather.

No. That probably wasn't the reason. Was he trying to booby trap the dungeons? As plausible as that reason was, it was negated when McGonagall informed them that they would be serving detention in the trophy room. And there was no way James Potter would do anything to harm the contents of the trophy room. It housed too many Quidditch related items, and a sizeable amount of plaques with his name on it. Hence.

Was he covering for the rest of the Marauders while they pulled an even more elaborate prank? Seeing as Filch would be busy supervising (gloating over) their detention, he wouldn't be able to watch other parts of the castle, giving the other three plenty of time to create chaos.

That was it! That was the master plan! And she was now an unwitting accessory. Drat. She spotted the object of her elaborate musings, walking (pfft, strutting) into the common room, his hand slung over a slightly higher set of shoulders. The almost collar length hair meant that she couldn't require too many guesses to figure out who it was. One, actually. His grey eyes sought her out and she looked away almost immediately, a deep scowl forming on her face.

Not only had he humiliated her like that, but he hadn't made a single attempt to apologise to her! Lily had pestered her for a week, before giving her some space. And that had helped. She was more inclined to listen to anything the red head had to say. But Sirius? She huffed to herself and stomped off to the dorm. She was better off not speaking to him anyway. Her life was much calmer and less dramatic.

* * *

"Why is my life so dramatic?" Dany muttered to herself as she watched Filch chase after James and Sirius, the latter of whom was holding onto a very wet and very irritable Mrs. Norris, while Remus and Peter ran off to distract a quickly closing in McGonagall.

"Unfortunate consequence of being a Gryffindor?" Lily supplied, shrugging her shoulders. "Come on, Marls snuck out a ton of food from the kitchens. Let's leave it to the boys to clean this up." Dany raised an eyebrow at her friend before acquiescing with a devious grin.

Exactly an hour earlier, Dany had dragged her feet to the Trophy Room, not looking forward to spending a large amount of time polishing mouldy objects next to a very restless Gryffindor. Thankfully, McGonagall had said that they could come and collect their wands from her after 2 hours. Which meant that Filch couldn't keep them there as long as he wanted.

"Get on with it," the gnarly caretaker growled, sitting down in a large chair and biting into a questionable looking sandwich. "And I better not see any funny business. And that means you, Potter!"

Polishing trophies was not a fun activity. Probably why it was part of detention and not your regular Saturday night. Oddly enough, James appeared to be rather subdued, working on his portion of trophies diligently. Maybe she had been wrong about her conspiracy theories. Maybe James had actually decided to take the punishment without any arguments. Maybe he had really matured in the last few months. Maybe… Maybe he was just waiting for the right moment and since it had finally arrived, was whispering frantically and incoherently to her!

"What?" she hissed.

"Move away from the vent." It was rather comical to see the always cocky James Potter, gesturing with the most ridiculous and unreadable hand movements. "Do it!"

Not that she was planning to listen, but James chose the exact moment that the vent was blasted open, to pull her out of range. She was about to frown at James but Filch's current state prevented her from doing much else but stare at him.

"How dare you?! You'll pay for this! This isn't the end!" he roared, running out of the trophy room with bright pink hair and a rather fetching pair of rabbit years growing rapidly from either side of his head.

"Pete's not that fast. So hurry up!" Dany's eyes bulged out at the sight of Remus taking out his wand and running behind Filch. She was even more stunned to see that James was not standing alone. In fact, he was standing with the two people she absolutely wanted nothing to do with.

"Dany, before you say anything, just hear us out. We don't have much time before Filch gets back. You can yell at us for however long you want, but please just hear us out." Dany frowned and pursed her lips, not having the heart to snub James.

"We're so sorry about everything that happened," he continued, his eyes sparkling earnestly. "It was horrible and humiliating and we were total twats."

"Dany," Lily came forward hesitantly. "What James said is true. We never should have hidden anything. But more importantly, we shouldn't have tried to trick you like that."

"Then why did you?" Dany's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Because I was confused. And embarrassed. A-and… Well, you know how I've always hated James' prankster ways. And for the longest time, I stuck to my hatred. But after you called me out during breakfast that time, it kind of made me see things clearly. How I was being stubborn and childish, how James wasn't as terrible as I always made him out to be, and how I probably fancied him… And then when we started our relationship, I felt very worried about what everyone would think. What you would think, Dany. Because you were the only one who had caught my bullshit. And I was scared of being judged. But I was wrong. You would have never judged me. I was just being insecure and paranoid. And I ended up hurting you. I'm so sorry. Will you ever be able to forgive me?"

Dany didn't have the heart to remain angry after that speech. Lily Evans - the most popular, beautiful and perfect student at Hogwarts was standing in front of her at her most vulnerable, and Dany knew at that moment that this girl was probably the closest thing she'd ever have to a best friend.

"I forgive you, Lils," she said, with a small smile. "And you as well, James. Not that I was ever very angry with you in the first place." James grinned and ruffled his messy hair even further while Lily hugged her tightly.

"What about me?" Dany's neck prickled with irritation at the sound of his voice. He hadn't said anything this whole time.

"What about you?" she asked, testily.

"Do you forgive me?"

"No."

"What?!" Sirius spluttered, staring at her in confusion. "You forgave these two! Why not me?"

"I must have missed the part where you apologised for your behavior. Which, I might add, was abominable!"

"'Abominable'? Which decade do you live in?" he spat out, his eyes dancing with anger.

"And you wonder why I haven't forgiven you?"

"You're just too stubborn for your own good! It's been ages! Just let it go!"

"Not until you apologise!" yelled Dany, her face flushed with anger.

"Why the hell should I apologise to a temperamental little brat like you? Throwing tantrums whenever things don't go your way! You're just-"

 _Crack_. James and Lily gasped in horror as Dany's fist collided with Sirius' face. He staggered back and blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. Dany's hand was shaking but her expression was seething. If that wasn't enough, Mrs. Norris chose this exact moment to jump on Sirius' head and start attacking him viciously.

"URGH! Geroff me, you mangy cat!" Sirius yelled as James rushed over to pry the animal off his best friend.

"What do you think you're doing? Get away from my-" Filch's words were drowned by Mrs. Norris' screech as James blasted her off with a jet of water.

"Mrs. Norris!" he yelled, lunging for his cat. Sirius ducked out of his way but cat just refused to let go of him. Filch's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head in rage.

"Padfoot! Prongs!" Remus and Peter ran up to them but stopped short at the sight in front of them. This was definitely not looking good. Lily had already begun to discreetly move out of the zone of destruction, pulling Dany by the sleeve.

"What in Godric's name is going on?" Everyone froze in horror at the sound of McGonagall's voice which was getting closer every second.

"Run!"

And that's how Dany's first detention had ended. With Sirius and James running from a deranged Filch with Mrs. Norris in tow, while Remus and Peter sacrificed themselves to the ire of an already irritated Transfiguration professor.

"Why is my life so dramatic?" mused Dany.

Later that night, the Gryffindor common room witnessed the entrance of four very weary looking sixth years followed by a livid Head of the House. Needless to say, detentions were handed out and points were deducted. What pleased Dany, though, was the smell of wet cat that hung off Sirius, which McGonagall forbade anyone from removing with magic or otherwise.

"You could at least attempt to disguise your abject glee at his current state," whispered Lily, trying her best to avoid grinning. McGonagall was far too angry to risk it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," muttered Dany, the corner of her lips threatening to lift up.

"I know a spell that'll make that smell last for a week at least," added Marlene, in a conspiratorial tone.

"Marls?" asked Lily, not sure why her friend was willing to humiliate Sirius further.

"He's been way off during practice. And there's only so much you can blame on his guilty conscience," she muttered, darkly. "I almost got my elbow broken his morning."

"Are we doing this or not?" she added, impatiently.

"I think it would be a crime not to," Dany said, feigning concern.

"Besides, it'll be nice to see him and Snape facing off after this," mused Lily. "Cat stench or hair grease - the toughest game of 'would you rather' in recent times."

* * *

"Well done, everyone!" Slughorn bellowed, his hands placed on his ever increasing belly. "Your Potions assignment was far better than I had anticipated. Your marks are on the board, so please have a look at them. But before we get to that, I would like to give special mention to the best pair in class - for their outstandingly brewed batch of Polyjuice, Ms. Wilson and Mr. Black! Please give them a round of applause!"

Dany flushed slightly, not sure of how to react. Since the assignment had ended, she was no longer expected to sit with Sirius. Slughorn bringing everyone's attention to her also meant that her attention was brought to Sirius. And she was still very annoyed by his behaviour from the day before. What she hadn't expected was the glare that Snape sent her way. It was scathing and she almost flinched. Lily was also surprised and frowned at her former friend.

"Ignore him, Dany," she whispered, turning her away by the shoulders. "He's jealous because your potion was the best."

Unfortunately, ignoring him didn't seem like much of an option. After class, Dany found herself alone with the Slytherin, while her friends had walked ahead towards the common room. Snape's eyes were filled with disgust as he looked her up and down.

"Black's newest conquest," he sneered. "Did you bribe someone to do the assignment for you? Or perhaps Slughorn himself?"

"Excuse me? What exactly are you insinuating, Snape?" she asked, incredulously.

"I'm sure you can figure it out."

"I am, most certainly, nobody's conquest," she said in a low voice. "And we brewed the potion by ourselves."

"That's right, Snivellus." Dany turned to see Sirius, James and Lily standing behind them. Sirius had spoken, his face dripping of disdain. "No bribery involved, I'm afraid."

"Black," spat Snape. "Here to rescue your little slag?"

Lily gasped in horror and took out her wand. "Watch your tongue, Snape. You can't use this sort of language in school."

"I'm sure some soap would be good to clean out that filthy mouth of yours," growled Sirius, getting ready to hex Snape. The Slytherin hesitated slightly, seeing he was outnumbered by the Gryffindors.

"Don't, Sirius," warned Lily. "Leave, Snape. And I'll be docking points for your language."

"You're lucky Evans was here, _Snivellus_ ," sneered Sirius, lowering his wand.

"Go on, Snape," said James, speaking for the first time. "Leave. Now."

"You can't tell me what to do, Potter," hissed Snape. "I'm not afraid of arrogant, privileged, Gryffindors like you. Strutting about the castle like you own it. You'd better watch your step. Things are changing out there."

Sirius and James both pointed their wands at Snape, who had already got into position for a fight. Lily looked between the two sides, unsure of whom to stop. As much as Dany wanted to escape from this situation, she knew that it had started with her. And she couldn't just leave things like this.

"Stop it," she said, finally. "Both of you know better. Snape was talking to me. So why don't you just move along…" She left the suggestion in the air, imploring James to take the hint and leave with Sirius.

"She's right," muttered the bespectacled boy. "Come on, Padfoot." Sirius grudgingly agreed, and the three of them started walking away, leaving Dany with Snape.

"Look," she began, trying to mend things as best as she could. "I don't want any trouble, Snape. So-"

"You filthy Mudblood!" he spat, venomously. Dany's eyes widened in horror, knowing that this would definitely bring back James and Sirius. Sure enough, she saw Snape raise his wand, ready to fire. For the first time in the longest while, Dany let her instincts take over. Before anyone could strike, she muttered a quick Disarming Spell and Snape's wand was knocked out of his hand.

" _Levicorpus!_ "

" _Silencio!_ "

James and Sirius had Snape dangling from his ankles in the next instance. By now, a small crowd had gathered around them. Lily was working to disperse them before a teacher appeared.

"Let him go!" Dany said frantically, growing more worried by the escalation of the situation. "He's not worth it!"

"Go on," said James, his eyes and voice betraying his anger. "Get lost, Snivellus!"

Snape glared at them with pure loathing before walking away, leaving Dany unusually shaken.

"Disgusting prat," breathed Sirius, putting away his wand.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" James and Lily looked between Sirius and Dany with matching bewildered expressions. Her brow was creased and her eyes with dancing with fury.

"What do you-" Sirius tried to ask but was cut off by her.

"Why did you do that? Why in Godric's name are you so trigger-happy? Next time, mind your own business!" she yelled, clenching her fists and running off towards the stairs.

Sirius stood there, confusion, anger and frustration bubbling inside him.

* * *

 **A lot of stuff happened in this chapter lol. I'd love your thoughts on Lily's reason for deceiving Dany. And the Sirius-Dany dilemma isn't just so simply solved. He's really stubborn and she would rather not put up with any kind of bullshit. But then, I really want to know what you guys think. SO please review!**

 **Cheers xxx**


	18. Don't Go Down The Rabbit Hole

**A/N- Hey guys! Thanks for the lovely reviews last time! I really look forward to them. Much love. So this is a hella dramatic chapter. And I kind of took a while to write to. So apologies for that. Lemme know what you think.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw to decide the winner of the Quidditch Cup - which did not involve Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, but rather Gryffindor and Slytherin. Funny how these things work. Which meant a very disgruntled Ravenclaw team flew up into the air, unsure of what they would rather have - win the match and hand the Cup to Slytherin, or lose and hand it to Gryffindor.

It was no wonder that the Ravenclaw captain appeared to be crushing James' hand during the captains' handshake. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and the game was underway. Remus, Peter, Lily, Dany, Dorcas and Mary were all sitting together in the stands, cheering on their House. Now that the whole issue with Lily had been cleared up, Dany was delighted to note the excited flush on her friend's face as she watched her boyfriend scorch the pitch. Dany nudged Dorcas and both girls snorted as James performed an elaborate celebratory move after scoring yet another goal - no doubt aimed at a certain red head in the stands.

"Merlin, he's insufferable," chuckled Remus resignedly.

"I know," said Lily with a breathy sigh. Dany snorted beside her, glad that the deafening cheers had drowned it. It was very cute to see a loved up Lily Evans.

It was a good match, not a spectacular one, but a good one nonetheless. Gryffindor won, successfully winning the Cup as well. All seven players huddled together in a group hug as a few scattered boos echoed from the green side of the supporters.

"I'm happy for you, Lils," Dany whispered, giving her friend a small smile. She looked confused for a second but smiled broadly as she realised what her friend meant.

"Thanks," she murmured, squeezing Dany's hand lightly. In a second, Lily was swooped up by an elated Gryffindor captain. They kind of fit together. Perfectly. And it made Dany a little uncomfortable. Because relationships were complicated. It involved more than one person. And people are always different from one another. Sometimes there was bound to be a conflict of interests. Or worse.

She pushed aside those troubling thoughts, content with the looks of pure joy on James and Lily's faces. No matter how long this lasted, it was worth it just for the thing itself. Sometimes the present was just too important to worry about the future.

Unbeknownst to her, a pair of grey eyes were watching her facial expressions intently. Sirius clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling a strange conflict course through him.

"Padfoot," he didn't turn around when Remus came up to stand next to him. "Why don't you just apologise to her?"

"It's not that simple, Moony," he muttered.

"Why not? Do you like seeing her like this? Are you okay fighting with her? Aren't you sorry for what you did?"

"Of course I am!" Sirius hissed.

"Then why can't you apologise?"

"I don't know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. The truth was, he was scared. This was not a situation he had ever been in before. While he remembered how shitty it felt to have disappointed Remus after almost exposing his situation via Snape in fifth year, this was different. Because it involved her. He didn't know how she would react. He had fit her into this pliable box, but it turned out that he might have been wrong about requiring a container of any kind. There were things he knew about her. But it paled in comparison to everything he didn't know. And that worried him. Because Sirius Black was always confident about things around him. Or at least, the things he cared about around him. And Daniella Wilson had fallen into that category at some point of time. Which was why he was struggling with the simple thing that she wanted - for him to tell her that he was sorry for hurting her. Apologies didn't come easy for him because he rarely ever felt like he had done something wrong. And the fact that this was such a stupid mistake - something that nobody, not even Sirius himself, would condone - made it even more difficult for him. It hurt his pride.

"Well, I'd suggest you hurry up and figure it out," advised Remus, before walking off to congratulate James.

It was now a choice of what was more important to him - his pride or her friendship.

* * *

Severus Snape was a bit of an oddball. While he was a Slytherin, he did not get along with most of the other students in his House. He exuded an air of disdain, and his unfriendly attitude only served to alienate people. For the longest time, he had been close to Lily Evans - another bone of contention with the Slytherins. However, his conflicting interest in certain branches of magic spurred by Avery and Macnair, had prompted his estrangement from the Gryffindor prefect. Due to his perverse moral code, he continued to hold Lily in high esteem - choosing to shift the blame onto the other Gryffindors when he saw fit. It was usually James Potter or Sirius Black, and sometimes even Remus Lupin. But this time, he had acquired a new scapegoat to dump his own shortcomings on - Daniella Wilson.

He was seething at how those Gryffindors had humiliated him once again. And this time, the quiet and barely noticeable girl had been a big part of it. How dare she? Snape skulked about his dormitory replaying the events of the week before, his mind searching for ways in which he could get back at her. And then it came to him. The perfect plan. The best way to teach her a lesson - and involve the Marauders in it as well.

Snape drew the curtains around his four poster bed. Concentrating on exactly what he wanted to achieve, he picked up his wand and slowly muttered the incantation.

" _Legilimens."_

* * *

Saturday nights usually meant that Dany was free to do whatever she wanted. But this close to the final exams, she hadn't found much time to do anything but study and revise what she had studied. It wasn't that there was a lot of work - she only had 5 NEWTs. But everything was exceedingly difficult, especially Transfiguration. So she was naturally very excited to have finished her work early that day, leaving Lily, Marlene and Dorcas in the library as they sweated it out themselves.

She had a new book which she was dying to read. It had been a long time since she had been able to read anything other than textbooks. Curling up underneath her blanket, she began devouring the pages until sleep took over.

" _Dany… Please. Help me. Dany, I don't think I can- UGH!"_

Dany woke up with a start, her heart beating wildly in her chest. What in Merlin's name was that? Did she just have a very realistic nightmare? There was something so odd about it. Lily's face… It had been a ghostly white. Not like anything she had ever seen before.

She pushed aside her covers and gulped down a glass of water. That made her feel a little calmer. Turning towards Lily's bed, her heart plummeted at the perfect white sheets devoid of any human contact. The rest of the beds were occupied - Marlene's blonde hair peeking out from underneath her covers, Dorcas curled up with a cushion, and Mary's hand hanging from one end of her bed. But no Lily.

Panic seized Dany. Where was Lily? Could what she have seen have an ounce of truth in it? Of course not. That was just a silly dream. But then… where was Lily? She wondered briefly whether the red head was in the boy's dorm. She and James were going out after all. But…

Grabbing her wand from her bedside table, she padded out towards the stairs leading to the sixth year boys dorm. Listening for any telltale noises that might alert her to anything she might not want to see with her own eyes (this was a new couple after all), she knocked on the door softly.

Nothing.

She opened the door slightly, glancing inside with a lot of hesitance. Her eyes were already accustomed to the dark so it didn't take her long to realise that the dorm was almost completely empty. No Lily, no James, no Sirius, no Remus, no Peter. Just Frank, snoring loudly.

A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Where were they? What was going on?

"DANY! UGH!"

That was Lily's voice. She ran to the window, trying to find where the voice was coming from. And then she understood. It all clicked inside her head like puzzle pieces connecting together. The Whomping Willow - she didn't know how or why but something told her that that was where she needed to go.

She dashed out of the dorm, down the stairs and through the portrait hole, leaving Frank still snoring as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Full moon nights were becoming harder to cope with. The boys were more exhausted than usual with upcoming exams and Quidditch, and the general stress of living in times of an impending war. Remus had just finished his transformation, his tortured shrieks subsiding as he ran out after James in stag form. Peter stayed near the tree, his small form preferring to stay away from the heart of the action. Sirius ran after Moony and Prongs, his shiny black fur glistening in the moonlight.

Most of his human senses were dulled as Padfoot, but his sense of smell made up for it. It was that sense coupled with heightened hearing, caused him to stop his usual carefree running. He could hear someone getting closer. Someone who should definitely not be here at this hour. Someone whose smell was so familiar that every hair on his body stood up in high alert. He barked loudly, hoping to sway her from the dangerous path she had taken, and also to alert Prongs of danger.

Her footsteps were getting closer. Padfoot ran towards her, stopping right in front of her and snarling at her. Perhaps he could frighten her into leaving. He could see the fear in her eyes. But there was something else in it as well. Something which didn't seem quite right. Which was why he decided that there was no use risking things. In a flash, he had transformed back, causing Daniella Wilson to trip and fall backwards.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low and gruff.

He could see that she was struggling with her words, trying to grasp what exactly had happened.

"Dany! Answer me!" he urged.

"Y-you're an Animagus. W-why? What's going on?" she stammered, getting to her feet warily. Her wand was still clutched tightly in her hand.

"You need to leave. Now." She flinched at his tone but he didn't care. Her life was in danger at this moment.

"What's going on? Where's Lily?" she asked.

"Lily? How should I know?"

"Lily… Sh-she was here. By the Whomping Willow. I heard her…"

"What? She's not here. And you shouldn't be here either. Leave. Now."

"If she's not here then-"

A howl pierced through the tranquil night. Moony had caught a whiff of her scent. Sirius' eyes darted towards the forest, where he had left the others. If he had caught her scent, it wouldn't be long…

"Come on!" he yelled, grabbing her hand and running towards the castle. He needed to think fast. Prongs wouldn't be able to keep him at bay on his own. He couldn't risk leading Moony back to the castle either.

"Where are we going? What was that howl?" she asked, her face white with fear.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, rounding on her suddenly.

Indecision wavered in her eyes and it pained Sirius to realise that it was his fault that she wasn't able to answer him.

"I need you to trust me. For tonight, at least."

She nodded her head, tightening her grip on his hand.

"We're going to the Shrieking Shack," he said, his jaw clenching. The howls were getting closer and he tugged her hand, hastening towards the centre of all their sins.

Once they had reached, her face betrayed nothing but a slight disconcertance. There would be no hiding the truth from her after this. But for now, her safety was the first priority.

"Stay in here," he said, pointing to one of the rooms which was less damaged. "Do not come out unless I come for you."

She nodded her head, watching in confusion as he changed back into Padfoot. With a low growl, he charged out, hoping that he and Prongs would be able to keep Moony out of the shack until sunrise.

* * *

Dany was shaking. Her thoughts were confused and she felt like she was running around in some sort of warped reality. Sirius was an Animagus. Why? It seemed ridiculous. And where on earth was Lily? What the hell were those noises? Almost like werewolf…

A loud thud sounded from outside the shack, causing Dany to move towards the window and try to see what was going on. She could see Sirius (in his transformed state), growling and snapping at a slightly hunched creature with yellow eyes and-

"A werewolf!" Fear gripped every part of Dany as she stood paralysed at the window. Sirius was trying his best to hold off the werewolf. Apparently, there was a stag out there with the same idea. It kept butting the werewolf with its antlers, clearly trying to move it back towards the forest.

Dany was not someone who sought out adventures or risky experiences. She often felt like she didn't belong in the House of Godric Gryffindor - known for its daring and bravery. Under normal circumstances, she would have stayed put inside the shack (actually, under normal circumstances she'd be happily asleep in her bed), but something about how the werewolf kept going at Sirius, made her resolve to do something utterly stupid and exceedingly reckless.

She ran out and blasted the first spell she could think of at the yellow eyed beast.

" _Stupefy!_ "

The jet of red light hit it square on the chest and it staggered back, giving the stag a chance to push it towards the forest.

"Sirius? Are you okay?" she asked, looking at his wounds frantically. His breathing was heavy and, soon, he had transformed back into human form. A series of gashes and wounds were littered all over him, but his eyes glistened with anger.

"Didn't I tell you to stay inside?" he spat out, coughing slightly as the wounds dug into him.

"I couldn't stay there and watch you get ripped to shreds," she said, her own voice shaking with emotion.

"You don't understand anything. You should have stayed inside," he muttered, trying to get to his feet. Dany placed her arm around him, giving him some much needed support.

"You need treatment," she whispered, softly touching the large gash on his cheek.

"I _need_ you to get back inside. Please," his tone was pleading as his strength continued to decrease with every given minute.

Another howl pierced through the air. Dany and Sirius turned towards the direction of the howl, only to see the werewolf bounding towards them. The combination of Sirius' weight, the pace of the incoming beast, and Dany's strained nerves caused her to lose balance and drop her wand onto the ground.

It was in that moment that Dany understood the power of fear, as she stood rooted to the spot, waiting for a werewolf to pounce on her and Sirius.

" _Impedimenta!"_ A jet of light struck the werewolf from one side, knocking it off its feet. Dany was only able to catch one glimpse of the caster before darkness engulfed her and she lost consciousness.

* * *

 **Sorry for leaving things at this juncture :P But it was honestly getting too long. Thoughts? Confusion? I'll try and address them best I can in the next chapter, so let me know.**

 **Cheers xxx**


	19. Dissonance Theory

**A/N- I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of stuff to do and had zero motivation. But then I found a delightful new ff and got back my mojo! So yay!**

 **Here's a slight recap of the previous chapter for those who feel lost at the moment.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **"Sirius? Are you okay?" she asked, looking at his wounds frantically. His breathing was heavy and, soon, he had transformed back into human form. A series of gashes and wounds were littered all over him, but his eyes glistened with anger.**

 **"Didn't I tell you to stay inside?" he spat out, coughing slightly as the wounds dug into him.**

 **"I couldn't stay there and watch you get ripped to shreds," she said, her own voice shaking with emotion.**

 **"You don't understand anything. You should have stayed inside," he muttered, trying to get to his feet. Dany placed her arm around him, giving him some much needed support.**

 **"You need treatment," she whispered, softly touching the large gash on his cheek.**

 **"I _need_ you to get back inside. Please," his tone was pleading as his strength continued to decrease with every given minute. **

**Another howl pierced through the air. Dany and Sirius turned towards the direction of the howl, only to see the werewolf bounding towards them. The combination of Sirius' weight, the pace of the incoming beast, and Dany's strained nerves caused her to lose balance and drop her wand onto the ground.**

 **It was in that moment that Dany understood the power of fear, as she stood rooted to the spot, waiting for a werewolf to pounce on her and Sirius.**

 **"Impedimenta!" A jet of light struck the werewolf from one side, knocking it off its feet. Dany was only able to catch one glimpse of the caster before darkness engulfed her and she lost consciousness.**

* * *

The hospital wing. Why was she in the hospital wing? The Shrieking Shack… The werewolf… Sirius…

"Lily?" Her hoarse voice jarred through the silence. Lily had been the one to cast the spell before she had lost consciousness.

"Dany? Oh thank god you're awake!" The red head walked over to her bed quickly.

"What happened? I-I'm so confused."

"Understandably," said Lily with a sad smile. "It's a long story. Think you're up to hearing it now."

It all seemed incredible. Remus was a werewolf. The same werewolf she had encountered last night. James, Sirius and Peter were unregistered Animagi, who accompanied Remus during his transformations so that he'd be safer and less lonely. And last night, she had stumbled upon the whole thing, endangering not just herself, but all four boys as well.

"This is terrible, Lils," Dany sighed, lying back into her pillow. "I can't believe I did that. I could have…"

"I don't think anyone will blame you, Dany," Lily reassured her. "But why did you go out there in the first place? It's not something I'd ever imagine you doing."

Dany frowned as the slow trickle of memories seeped into her brain. Lily's frantic screams. Her absence in the dorm. Everything was much more foggy than it had been last night. And she said as much to Lily.

"That is strange…" She looked worried, as if she had realised something terrible. "I was in the dormitory the whole time, Dany. I only came out when Peter told me what was going on. And I followed him to try and lend a helping hand."

"Then why did I…?"

"I don't know, Dany. But you should rest. And don't tell the others about this just yet."

"The others?"

"Remus is recuperating. He always does after a full moon. But James and Sirius are here as well. Last night was… rough."

Dany stretched out on the hospital bed as Lily excused herself. This was all very surreal. It took her some time to fully grasp everything that had happened and what Lily had told her. On top of that there was the weird thing that had led her out into the grounds. Lily was pretty confident about not screaming for help in the middle of the Forbidden Forest (one would assume it was something that one isn't mistaken about too often). Which meant that she had either dreamt it or misheard something. Whatever the case, she didn't feel up to investigating matters at the moment.

"Are you okay?"

Her head turned sharply at the voice from a couple of beds down from her. Sirius was lying down with his hands tucked under his head. He was looking straight up at the ceiling, and she got up quietly and sat down on the bed beside him.

"I'm fine," she said, looking at him cautiously.

"Good." He got up, propping himself up on his elbows. His black hair fell on his face, his eyes looking strangely subdued.

"What about you? How are your injuries?"

"Fine," he shrugged. "Poppy healed everything almost immediately. She's seen much worse."

"I see." Silence prevailed as Dany struggled with what to say. She felt awkward around him once again, just like she had at the beginning of the year. On top of that, she wasn't sure how to act around him. Were they friends? Had she forgiven him for his cruel stunt?

"I'm sorry, by the way." His voice came out much lower and softer than she had become accustomed to. "I understand it was a dick move on my part. And I truly am sorry for causing you so much hurt."

She could feel the sincerity in his words, making her decision so much easier.

"Well," she said, slowly. "You did save my life last night. So I guess I can forgive you."

He let out a low chuckle. "Those are some impossible standards you have there. Remind me not to piss you off again."

"And I'm sorry I put you all at risk last night," she said, sobering up a little. "I obviously had no idea what consequences there could be of rushing out at night to help a friend."

"Help a friend?" asked Sirius, sitting up completely.

"Y-yeah." She hesitated for a second before telling Sirius everything that she had seen and heard last night. His brow creased further as he listened, an oddly determined look crossing his eyes.

"That was bloody dangerous. Even if we weren't there, you could have been attacked by something lurking in the forest."

"Yeah, that thought is hitting me pretty hard retrospectively," she mumbled sheepishly. "But no harm, no foul."

"I'd hardly describe the situation in that way," said Sirius, lifting one eyebrow. "But more to the point, this sounds strange. Do you think someone cast the Imperius Curse on you?"

"I did think of that. But I don't think so. Mainly because it's supposed to place you in a sort of daze. And I was most definitely fully aware of whatever was going on. It was almost like this weird image was planted in my, otherwise perfectly functioning, mind."

Sirius' expression darkened as she finished speaking. His eyes blazing with anger. Dany wondered why he had experienced this sudden shift. Was it something she had said?

"You okay?" she asked, tentatively.

"I just thought of something. A reason why you saw what you saw," he muttered. "Let's just hope I'm wrong."

"What is it?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I'd rather not say until I have more information."

"Okay."

Dany felt slightly dejected by his response. Almost as if he didn't trust her enough to tell her his theory. But it was true, though. He didn't trust her too much. She was a friend but nothing compared to his core group. A feeling of inadequacy crept through her as she went back to her bed and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

"Can't wait for these bloody exams to get over!" yelled Marlene in frustration.

"Shut up," hissed Dorcas. "Or Pince will drag us out by our ears."

The five girls were currently huddled together at the corner of the Charms and Transfiguration sections, revising their notes feverishly. Most of their exams were over, barring an elective, Potions and Transfiguration. All of them had the latter two exams, while only Mary had Care of Magical Creatures.

"Ugh!" Marlene's cry was met with glares from the others. "I can't take it anymore! I need to get out of this cycle of fluxweed and Monkshood!"

"What in Merlin's name are you studying?" asked Dany, cocking an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean!" Marlene looked ready to stand up on the table and stomp her feet in annoyance. Something which she was very capable of doing. A fact not lost on Lily because she shut her book and motioned for her friend to calm down.

"Why don't we take a break?" she suggested, yawning slightly. "We can get back to revising in a bit. It'll do us some good. Not to mention, save us all from the wrath of Pince which Marls is sure to incur any moment now."

"You're a lifesaver, Lils," grinned Marlene, draping herself over the table dramatically.

"At least no one can accuse you of overreacting," snorted Dorcas.

"Let's play a game!" Lily's face looked far too smug.

"What kind of game?"

"Truth or dare."

"Really? We aren't 15, Lils," scoffed Dorcas.

"Oh yes, being 16 is so much more different," remarked Marlene, drily.

"Well, technically I'm 17," corrected Lily.

"Me too," said Mary, giving Lily a high five.

"There's no need to show off. We'll all get there eventually," snorted Dany.

"Some sooner than others," grinned Marlene, high fiving Dorcas.

"Okay, now it's just all of you ganging up on you," said Dany, rolling her eyes.

"Are we playing or not? Time's a wastin!"

"Yes, yes, don't get your knickers in a twist, Evans."

"Are you sure she's even wearing knickers? Who knows what James likes." Marlene smirked suggestively as Lily's face matched the shade of her hair. Dany wasn't sure whether to laugh or be mortified. Dorcas and Mary had no such qualms and were trying their hardest to contain their giggles.

"Stuff it, McKinnon," answered Lily, hotly. "Or I might have to tell the others about what I know about Caradoc Dearborn."

"You wouldn't," hissed Marlene.

"What happened? You can't not tell us now! Lils!"

"Let's start the game already!" Marlene spun her wand on the table and it landed on Mary. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Pfft," Marlene rolled her eyes at her friend's predictable answer. "Were you the one who helped Remus and the others pull off that epic prank on the Slytherins last year?"

Mary turned beet red and nodded her head. Dany gasped as she recalled the prank where the entire dungeons had been teepeed on a particularly sultry day.

"Moving on," urged Mary, spinning the wand herself. "Okay Lils, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Oh Ms. Evans, how scandalous," purred Marlene, earning a kick under the table from Lily.

"Hmm…" Mary's contemplative face had Dany wondering what exactly she was planning to dare Lily to do. It appeared that despite all her shyness and timidness, Mary McDonald enjoyed her fair share of troublemaking.

"I dare you to… Hang up a banner in the library that says 'I love James Potter'."

A chorus of oohs followed this statement as Lily glared at Mary. "That's not fair. Everyone would know it was me."

"You underestimate people's obsession with James," pointed out Mary. "It could just as easily be some crazed fangirl."

"Same difference," muttered Dorcas under her breath, making Dany snort rather ungracefully.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Atta girl!" Marlene's encouragement was met with rather an obscene hand gesture from the red head.

They watched in anticipation as Lily snuck behind a particularly large stack of books and muttered a few charms. Soon, a large banner was seen floating to the ceiling, hanging from a few of the lights. The girls craned their necks to see whether the message was indeed there.

Sure enough, against the green background of the banner were large glittering snakes, curled up into the words I LOVE JAMES POTTER.

"Genius," muttered Dorcas, slapping Marlene on the back to stop her from choking on her own laughter.

Lily looked decidedly smug as she sat down and spun the wand. This time it landed on Dorcas. The game continued for a while, slowly descending into the vortex of couple gossip. Strangely, Dany had only been picked once, the luck of the draw leaving her to watch the others take part in the game. Finally, it was Marlene's spin which landed on Dany.

"Finally!" Dany cried dramatically.

"Alright, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Hmm… Did you really punch Sirius in the face? Or is that a horribly warped rumor?"

Dany was taken aback by the question. She had almost forgotten about that incident. That day in detention when James and Lily had apologised to her and Sirius had refused to, earning a punch to his face.

"That's true. I was there. It was epic," grinned Lily, clearly enjoying having to relive that moment.

"Woah! That is bitchin', Wilson!" whistled Marlene in awe.

"Hang on," interrupted Dorcas. "Lils totally jumped that question. Ask her something else, Marls!"

"Yeah, that's right," agreed Marlene, giving the red head a pointed look.

"Sorry," said Lily, biting her lip to prevent the grin from breaking out.

"Alright. Round 2. Dany, who is… the last boy you kissed?"

Dany had chosen that unfortunate moment to take a gulp of water, effectively spraying Lily and Mary as she spluttered unattractively. Marlene's lips curled up delightedly as she realised that she had hit the nail on the head. Dany wasn't sure whether she should answer the question, her mind rushing back to the moment outside the dungeons when she and Sirius had snogged each other rather enthusiastically.

"Sirius!"

Unfortunately, Dany's new found composure was short lived, as she started coughing violently on hearing Lily expose her unwittingly. Dorcas and Marlene looked at her strangely as she struggled to regain some semblance of normal breathing.

"You okay?" Dany wondered what she had done to deserve this. She turned around to see Sirius standing behind them with a slightly perplexed look on his handsome face.

"Y-yeah," she breathed, taking a sip of water. "I'm fine."

"Right," he replied, looking unconvinced. "Evans, Minnie wants to see you and Prongs in her office. He's already there, so you'd better get a move on."

"Why does she want to see us?" she asked, worriedly.

"Maybe she saw you two having a quick one behind Hagrid's Hut," suggested Marlene, innocently.

"Wh-hat!?" Lily got up suddenly, knocking over the chair in the process. As if on cue, Madam Pince's voice could be heard approaching them at an alarming pace.

"Well that just about wraps up our session here," grumbled Dorcas, shooting Sirius a dirty. "Thanks a lot."

"Don't thank me, love. This is all McKinnon's doing. With perhaps a little help from Prongs and Evans," smirked Sirius, as they all hastened out of the library.

Lily had shot off in the direction of McGonagall's office as the rest of them walked back to the common room.

"Dragonpox," said Mary, scrunching up her nose at the new password. The Fat Lady swung open for them. Dany was about to walk in when she felt someone yank her arm back. She stumbled slightly and was surprised to see Sirius holding onto her elbow securely.

"I need to talk to you."


	20. Crank it up

**A/N- I have no excuses except that I didn't know how to proceed with this chapter. I suck at writing scenes outside Hogwarts. Thank you to all the people who kept leaving reviews asking me to update. I think I finally finished this chapter because of you guys. Hopefully the next chapter won't take quite so long.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

Sirius took her hand and led her away from the main entrance of the common room, to a corner where it was much less conspicuous. He checked to see whether anyone was nearby, and then looked at her with an inscrutable expression.

"Well?" Dany wasn't sure whether she should just remove her hand from his since he still hadn't let go.

"What happened that night - I think I've figured it out," he said, his voice low.

"That night? You mean…" Dany's eyes widened as she realised he was talking about her strange hallucination (or whatever that was) when she had stumbled upon Remus' secret.

"It's dark, Dany," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. She felt a strange sinking feeling at the loss of his hand holding hers. "I still can't believe it."

"Sirius, what the hell happened?" she asked, growing slightly impatient.

"Legilimency."

"What?"

"That's right. Someone used Legilimency on you," he said, clenching his right fist. "Planted that vision of Evans in your mind, and lured you out that night."

"How do you know this?" asked Dany, feeling her throat dry up. Legilimency was a very advanced and incredibly dangerous form of magic. She felt scared just thinking about what else could have happened.

"I made a deal with my dear brother." Sirius practically spat out the last word. "He said that there are quite a few Slytherins who practice Legilimency. But he couldn't confirm who it was that cast the spell on you."

"Oh…" Dany felt awfully cold all of a sudden. Who hated her enough to try an attempt on her life like that? She rubbed her palms up and down her hands, hoping that her shiver wasn't visible.

"Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this. That bastard won't get away!" In very Sirius fashion, his eyes were blazing as he passionately declared his sentiments to exact revenge.

"Dany? Sirius? What are you two doing here?"

Lily walked up to them, looking a little tired but curious nonetheless. Dany felt slightly self conscious for some reason. She glanced at Sirius briefly, but he was looking at Lily.

"What's going on?" Lily continued.

"Nothing." Dany flushed as Lily narrowed her eyes, not believing a word she was saying.

"Sirius?" she asked the grey eyed Marauder. He looked towards Dany questioningly but she shook her head vigorously.

"You told him." It was more of a statement than a question. "I told you not to tell anyone about this, Dany."

"I'll just leave you two to talk this over," Sirius muttered, walking off with his hands in his pockets.

Lily still looked a little annoyed, waiting for Sirius to get out of earshot. Tying her hair up into a messy bun, she cast a charm around them so that nobody could hear their conversation.

"Look, Dany," she sighed. "I'm sorry, but if Sirius knows then the others will know as well. And I don't want anyone else to find out about this."

It was strange how agitated Lily was, considering this appeared to be a one-off incident they had had no idea about before. Unless…

"You know, don't you?" Dany had an uncanny feeling that Lily was trying very hard to keep herself calm. "You know someone used Legilimency on me. And you know who it was."

Her silence was enough of an answer.

"Who was it, Lils? And why don't you want anyone else to find out?"

Lily had green eyes. Eyes that sparkled with life and emotion - every emotion in existence had probably taken shape in those emerald depths at some point of time. Which is why Dany realised why her friend hadn't spoken yet. Sirius' words from a few moments before came back to her, and everything just fell into place.

"Snape."

"I'm sorry, Dany! I can't believe he did that!" Lily covered her face with her hands. "I had my suspicions but now I'm sure. And if the others find out, I don't know what they'll do!"

Dany bit her lip, not sure of how to react. Part of her was scared - worried that she would be attacked at any moment. The other part was angry. Why was Lily defending him? Did she not care that her friend's life was being threatened? And what kind of world was she living in that brewing a good potion warranted such a reaction?

"So he's going to go off scot-free?" Her voice was stiff, trying not to let her disappointment show.

"What? No! No, of course not!" Lily's green eyes went wide with horror. "Dany! Why would you think that? Of course he's not going to go off scot-free! I was going to ask you to come to Dumbledore with me and report him. He'll know how to deal with this best. I just- I don't want the others to find out about this because James and Sirius would probably do something incredibly reckless and stupid. Which wouldn't solve anything."

Dany's posture relaxed slightly. The disappointment that had welled up inside her dissolved all at once. She really was incredibly easy to rile up and then placate.

It was decided that they shouldn't lose any time, heading to Dumbledore's office immediately. The Headmaster listened to everything they had to say with a grave look in his eyes.

"Thank you for coming to me," he said, his back facing them. "I'm sure it was extremely frightening for you, Ms. Wilson. I will look into how to prevent such occurrences in the future. And Ms. Evans, you have displayed a great deal of character in a difficult situation. You have behaved admirably."

Lily flushed at the praise, diverting the conversation to possible safety precautions. By the time they had finished talking, it was past curfew.

"Let me accompany you both," he said, a twinkle in his eyes. "If nothing but to prevent any misunderstanding on Mr. Filch's end."

* * *

"I can't believe we're here!" Marlene's squeals echoed through the large corridors inside the Potters' home. "We are going to see the WORLD CUP! Can you believe it?"

"Are you sure you can believe it?" Remus gave her a very amused smile.

"Don't encourage her, Moony," said Peter, edging away from Marlene slightly. "She's got that crazy look in her eyes."

"For your information," sneered Marlene. "I'm perfectly alright. In fact, Lils and I are going to head up to our room and talk about stuff without you guys."

"Wormy! Now look what you did!" James' whine was far too comical to evoke any kind of sympathy, causing the three boys to break into laughter. "Shove off, wankers."

"Aw. Don't worry Prongsy," said Sirius with a smirk. "I'm sure Evans is saving some of that good lovin' for later. Ow!"

A flash of red disappearing up the stairs meant that it had, indeed, been Lily who had thrown a large bag at Sirius's head.

The Quidditch World Cup was being held in Manchester, making it even more exciting for fans to witness the epic final between Germany and Ireland. Germany were the underdogs, having barely scraped into the finals, going up against the fire power of a seasoned Irish team. James, being the enthusiastic fan that he was, had invited all his friends to stay at his place during the weekend of the final. They had all arrived on Friday and the final was on Saturday. Sunday was going to be a frenzy of food, excitement and happy times.

"Why isn't Dany here?" Peter looked up from his plate filled with Mrs. Potter's baked treats, his eyes wandering from James to Lily to Marlene and then Sirius.

"She said she'll meet us at the venue and then stay here for the rest of the weekend. Some family stuff, as far as I know," said James with a shrug.

"Have a thing for her, do you, Pete?" asked Sirius with a smirk. A slight flush crept over Peter's cheeks but he simply shook his head in response.

"Don't be a wanker, Pads," Remus chastised, giving him a look.

"He knows I'm just messing with him," he replied, winking at his friend. "Don't you, Pete?"

"Yeah. But you are a proper wanker, though. Heard you at it so many times at night." Peter's statement was met with a round of guffaws and exclamations.

"Well played, Pettigrew," said Sirius, offering his hand in faux reverence.

* * *

Dany had never been to a live Quidditch game before. Not outside the house games at Hogwarts. Being muggleborn had certain restrictions of course. So this was a very exciting prospect for her. Germany versus Ireland. It didn't get better than that. And even though Liam, Scott's older brother, was playing for the Irish national team, her heart felt that Germany would squeeze away a victory.

She checked her watch- it was almost time to meet the others. They had decided on the Irish food stall check post on the north end. There was a sudden pop and all six of them appeared out of nowhere. They had all passed their Apparation tests, so there was no need for Portkeys.

"Dany!" Marlene's enthusiastic cry was accompanied by her bounding over and tackling her friend in a bear hug. The younger girl wobbled slightly from the impact and giggled at her friend's reaction.

"She's been like this for the last couple of days," muttered Peter, giving Dany a clear look of warning. "I'm just letting you know. Almost knocked my bloody eyes out this morning."

"Hush, Pete. Don't awaken the inner Scot in her. Next thing you know, she'll be throwing shortbread at you- Hey! Marls!" James run off, ducking from the light punches Marlene was throwing his way.

"Haven't missed much, have I?" asked Dany, smiling fondly at the ensuing chaos.

"Nope." Lily grinned at her, linking her arms with Dany and Remus.

"Oi! Keep up! Else the Irish will have won before you lot even make it to the stadium!" hollered Sirius, running backwards. "Pete! Get me some fish and chips as well, will yah?"

* * *

"Murphy has the Quaffle! Dodges a bludger from Klein - swerves past Müller and Jung - the only thing standing between him and the hoops is Keeper Hartmann. Murphy aims and- OH! Spectacular save by Hartmann!"

The german fans cheered loudly, chanting the name of their young, female Keeper. She had incredible instincts and was doing a great job guarding the hoops from an incessant Irish onslaught.

"Isn't it ironic that the 6'5" Beater who looks like he could lift a mountain, is called 'Klein'?" murmured Dany, as the crowd quieted down a little.

"The universe loves a good joke," chuckled Remus.

Dany felt a nudge from behind her. She turned around and frowned at Sirius who was grinning at her cheekily.

"Didn't know you spoke German, Juliet," he whispered, so that no one else could hear.

"Nur ein bisschen," she replied with a shrug.

"Ich werde mir das merken," he smirked.

"Oi! Stop flirting, you two!" came Marlene's annoyed voice from beside Sirius.

"I was not flirting!" Dany replied hotly.

"Wish you had been," Sirius added, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. Dany felt very warm all of a sudden. Much warmer than the cold damp weather in Manchester warranted. She quickly turned her attention back to the game, trying to remove the image of Sirius looking at her from her mind.

"The score is 110-60 in favor of the Irish! The snitch is still nowhere to be seen. That could be the only thing that can save Germany at this point!"

It was true. The German defense was good but the Chasers were far inferior to their Irish counterparts. Liam was a fantastic Keeper and it was no wonder he had been picked for the national team. Dany was quite interested in the Seekers. She wasn't sure how Donovan and Vogel would fare against each other. They were both slightly built and had similar playing styles.

"Donovan has caught sight of the snitch! He's rushing off to the west flank! Vogel's also got wind of it! She's sped off after him- Oh! She narrowly dodges a bludger from Doyle! And-"

It was riveting. Watching Vogel and Donovan weave their way in and out of the players and flying balls, everyone held their breath. This was the moment of reckoning. An Irish whitewash or a German upset.

"Germany have won the World Cup! Vogel pulls off an outstanding dive to snatch the snitch away from Donovan's grasp! THE CROWD IS GOING WILD! THE YOUNGEST FEMALE SEEKER TO WIN THE MATCH FOR A NATIONAL TEAM!"

"Bloody hell! She did it!" Half an hour after the match had ended, Dany was still jumping up and down in excitement.

"It was bad enough with Marlene. Now Dany? Why can't I get a moment's peace?" whined Peter, ducking behind Remus to avoid any incoming blows from either girl.

"Why are you so excited, Dany? Didn't know you were such a loyal German fan," teased James.

"I'm gutted. This is proper betrayal on your part."

A new voice came from behind them and they turned around to see Liam O'Brien grinning at Dany, still in his Quidditch gear.

"Liam!" Dany squealed and launched herself at him.

"Some context would be appreciated, Dany," laughed Lily.

"You haven't told your friends? Now I'm really hurt." Dany giggled at Liam's theatrics and hugged him tighter.

"Hold on. You're friends with Liam O'Brien - Keeper of the Ballycastle Bats and part of the Irish national team? And you didn't think it necessary to tell us?" James' look of utter disbelief made Dany giggle even more.

"Nice to meet you, mate," said Liam, extending a hand out to James.

"I'm James. Potter. Gryffindor quidditch captain," James rattled off mechanically, a glazed look in his eyes.

Liam shook hands with all of Dany's friends and noted with interest, the slight tightening of Sirius' jaw as his eyes flicked to the arm resting around Dany - his arm, which slung loosely after the hug. A glint of mischief crossed his eyes and Liam pulled Dany closer to him.

"We've been neighbours since birth. I've known Dany since she was a wee girl, running around the lawn and falling over every few inches," he said with a grin, pressing a light kiss to her cheek. He was rather pleased to see Sirius flinch and clench his fist at the action. What was going on here, then?

"Yeah. We've known her forever. I'm Scott, Liam's younger brother." Another person walked over to the group and waved at everyone. Dany hugged him as well, before he moved closer to his brother, whispering, "Don't be a wanker, Liam."

"It's all a bit of fun, Scotty," his brother replied with a cheeky grin. "I've got to get going. We're having a loser's party in a while. Don't think I'll remember much of it though. Nice meeting you lot."

"Bye, Liam!" yelled Dany. "Drop by sometime, why don't you? Dad misses your gossipy anecdotes!"

"Will do!"

"Come on," said Scott, gesturing towards a particular tent. "My mom's got a ton of food in there. Why don't you lot come in and have something to eat?"

"Spiffing!" James looked delighted, taking Lily's hand in his and running in the direction Scott had pointed towards.

Scott lingered behind a little, deliberately hoping to catch Sirius on his own.

"Hey. You alright, mate?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged.

"He can be a bit of a wanker," continued Scott, looking ahead of him. "Liam, I mean. He does things to get a reaction sometimes. It's harmless, really."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sirius questioned, digging his hands into his pockets.

"I don't know. Just… a preemptive strike maybe? Try and dissolve anything that could jeopardise the future."

"The future?"

"The present?" asked Scott, a slight smirk crossing his face.

"I don't understand you," huffed Sirius, hastening towards the rest of the group. His cheeks were tinged pink and he frowned, hoping to stop the frantic beating of his heart.

* * *

 **So what'd you guys think? It was pretty disjointed. But I threw in a couple of references for you lot. Let's see if you can catch them. Do you want to see what happens at the Potters'? Or should I move on back to school?**

 **Cheers.**


	21. Emotional Knapsack

**A/N- I am SO SO SO SORRY. It's been so long since I've updated. I have no excuse other than I just didn't get any time. It wasn't writer's block or anything. I just didn't get any time. I've been writing little bits whenever I got the chance so that's why it's taken so long to get one chapter done. I apologise if it reads a little disjointed, but it's only because I've written it over a long period of time. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story, including the multiple guest reviews asking me to update. It's finally here, and I hope you like it. This is an important chapter in the story. A bit of character development and stuff. It might not make a lot of sense as a standalone, but more chapters in the future will relate to this.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Back at the Potters, things were off to a rollicking start. Mrs. Potter had arranged for the most extravagant meals for her son and his starving friends. Similar to the charm used in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, the plates at the Potters' kept refilling themselves. Dany had never met James' parents before and she took an instant liking to both of them. Euphemia Potter was a woman in her early 50s, streaks of grey lining her brown curls. Her voice was one of the most soothing sounds Dany had ever heard, and her quiet disposition did not take away from the affection she had towards all of them. Fleamont Potter was nearing 60, his salt and pepper beard contrasting with his jet black hair ("It's one of my secret hair color Potions!" he said, winking at Dany). It was clear that James got his charming, jovial nature from his father. Mr. Potter was quick to make everyone at ease, effortlessly creating a warm atmosphere in a matter of minutes.

"I'm very happy to finally meet you girls," said Mrs. Potter, once dinner was over. "I've heard a lot about you all. Marlene - James and Sirius can never stop gushing about your Quidditch skills. And Lily, I'm so glad James found someone like you. Even after hearing all the wonderful things my son had to say about you, I wasn't expecting such a lovely person."

Lily's face had turned the same shade as her hair. James was awkwardly scratching the back of his neck while Sirius nudged him suggestively.

"And Daniella." Dany felt her breath catch for a second. What would Mrs. Potter say about her? "James has started talking about you more recently. I hope you stay friends with my boys for a long time."

Dany couldn't help the smile growing on her face. Her eyes strayed to Sirius, who appeared to be beaming at being called Mrs. Potter's boy. It was rather adorable. In fact, Sirius looked so happy in the company of the Potters. It made you wonder about the home life he had been used to.

"Alright, we'll be retiring now," Mr. Potter said, picking up his reading glasses. "Don't stay up too long."

They were all laid out in the Potters' living room, munching on chocolate frogs (Remus) and sucking Sugar Quills (Lily and Peter). The discussion slowly progressed to Quidditch and Lily had started dozing. Remus had picked up a book from the table beside him, and was flipping through it casually. The rest of them talked about the match which had just concluded.

"That block by Hartmann near the end of the match was one of the best I've seen!" Dany exclaimed. "She's such a great player. Got a lot of raw potential. And the fact that she works with her instincts will only help her in the future."

"Gone a bit technical, haven't you Dany?" Marlene smirked, crossing her legs beneath her.

"Comes with the years of flying experience she has, Marls," grinned James, joining in the teasing.

"That's right." Dany played along good naturedly.

The teasing continued for a while. Dany was used to it. She was the only one who was both very teasable and took the teasing very well. But there was something off that night. Maybe it was how Marlene's words had a slight edge to them. Or how it seemed like James was ganging up on her.

Her smile faltered slightly, wondering if she was just imagining the change in tone. But it wasn't. It seemed that Remus had sensed a change in tone as well.

"You know that's not true," he said lightly, although his gaze conveyed a warning of sorts to James.

"Dany's so easy to tease," continued Marlene. "She never gets upset!"

Something inside her snapped. The jabs at her poor athletic abilities, the casual mockery of her difficulty making friends, the apparent hilarity that she had, only recently, acquired friends of the opposite sex, and the all too familiar comment on her love life.

"You could easily get a boyfriend if you put in some effort, Dany. That frosty exterior isn't helping your case one bit, you know. In fact-"

"Are you quite done?" Dany was struggling hard to keep her voice level. "Or is there something else you'd like to add?"

James had stopped grinning at this point. He looked unsure of how to react. Marlene, on the other hand, frowned and tilted her head to one side.

"I'm only telling you what I feel, Dany."

"Well maybe you shouldn't. As much as you think that you know better than most of us, there's no need to talk like that."

Marlene closed her mouth, looking uneasy for the first time. The room had gone quiet, and Dany could feel all eyes on her. Unlike other times when she felt overwhelmed by any kind of attention, this seemed to egg her on.

"I know everyone has this fetish for superiority, but it's just fucking terrible. Your lack of empathy and utter inability to understand someone else's point of view isn't something to be proud of. So don't lecture me because of your misguided priorities!"

"Being charming and cocky isn't something to be proud of." Dany had now turned towards James. "Because underneath that charm you judge people for not being as clever as you, or as athletic as you, or as popular as you. You may not be a blood supremacist, but you really have no fucking right to judge people."

"Try being nice. And drop the high-handed tone. You aren't superior. And even if you were, it makes you an arse for being condescending."

Dany stormed out, leaving everyone very confused and slightly worried. This wasn't a normal reaction. Especially since Marlene and James had only just been teasing her.

...

She sat by the window, letting the cool air touch her cheeks. She hadn't felt this unsettled in a long time. Her hands were still trembling slightly.

"Hey."

Sirius walked over to her, his steps soft, reminding her of his Animagus form. She nodded her head slightly, indicating that he was welcome to sit down. Silence enveloped the room, descending on her like a hand choking her throat. Soon, it got too much for her, and she looked outside deliberately, finding that her words came easier when she wasn't looking at someone.

"I've always been scared of this happening. That I would become like my father."

He didn't say anything but let her continue. He wasn't particularly sure of how to deal with her at this point. So letting her speak was probably the best idea.

"All my life… I've tried so hard. So unbelievably hard. It's exhausting. And after all that? I still end up behaving just like him. What's the point of it all…"

"He's a good man. But when his anger takes over, nothing else makes sense to him. No, no. It's never anything physical. Just really harsh words. Words that sting much longer than any hex or curse. Mum always said that I'm nothing like him. But I know that's not true. As uncomfortable as his anger makes me, I understand the reason behind it. I understand the irrationality. I-I-I feel the same anger inside me. The rationale behind it, haunting me like a sick dream. As much as I've tried to shut it out, it's always been there. Sometimes quieter than others. But always there. My anger surfaces in the same way his does. We have similar emotional pathways. That's always scared me. And now, my fear has been realised."

Her voice was thick with emotion at this point, the words shaking in an attempt to control the tears that were probably waiting to escape. Sirius knew at that moment that she was scared. Not of anyone or anything. But of herself. She disliked this part of her, but couldn't escape it no matter how hard she tried.

"Don't be scared." His words were few and simple, but it held an odd comfort for her. She nodded her head jerkily, her lower lip trembling slightly. Sirius realised that she was probably holding back her tears because she didn't want anyone to see her cry.

"I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well."

He left her by herself, hearing a soft sob echo through the air just as he reached the stairs.

* * *

The next morning, Dany woke up feeling very disoriented. She wasn't used to crying or losing her temper like this. It made her feel unsettled. On top of that, she had apparently spilled everything to Sirius.

Her face grew slightly warm at the thought. Sweet Merlin! What had possessed her to do that? This is why she didn't like being around people too much. It somehow ended up with her being vulnerable and not knowing anything about the other person. She hated that - feeling exposed.

It looked like everyone had already assembled for breakfast, the smell of Mrs. Potter's freshly baked bread wafting through the air. Dany gulped slowly, not knowing how to approach everyone. However, that was taken care of when James came bounding out of the kitchen, coming to a stop in front of her.

"Sorry for being a wanker, Dany," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Language, young man," Mrs. Potter's voice came from the kitchen.

"Right. Sorry, mum," James apologised, steering Dany away from the area. "Dany, I really am sorry."

"I'm sorry as well." Marlene had popped out of nowhere, looking rather guilty.

"That's alright. I'm sorry I blew up on you guys. It was nothing that serious," muttered Dany, feeling uncomfortable at being bombarded with apologies. "I said a lot of things I shouldn't have. They weren't true and I didn't mean them."

"Come on, Dany. This is a momentous occasion. Let them apologise. It might not happen again in another 17 years," said Lily, grinning at her friend. Dany felt better seeing someone talking in a light tone.

"Like I said, it's okay." Dany's discomfort was apparently not visible to everyone, because James and Marlene continued apologising to her, not realising that she wanted them to stop.

"I'm concerned about your reputation, Prongs," interjected Sirius, putting a halt to the stream of apologies. "59 apologies to a single person in the span of ten minutes? It's going to be hard to recover from that."

An indignant James was left to be dealt with by Lily and Remus, while Marlene defended her Captain's decisions. Dany breathed a sigh of relief and shot Sirius a grateful smile. To her surprise, he didn't smirk or brush off the issue. Instead, choosing to return her smile, and making her insides feel rather warm.

"Are you alright?" Lily sat down next to her, as the boys and Marlene tossed around a Quaffle.

"I'm fine, Lils. Don't worry." Dany was eager to drop the issue as soon as possible.

"If you're sure," continued her friend, uncertainly. "But if you do want to share anything, you know you can talk to me right?"

"Of course, Lils."

But she really didn't want to talk to her. She didn't really want to talk to anyone. Not about this at least. She felt like she had just exposed herself to everyone. And now she didn't know how to explain why she was what she was. It wasn't a nice feeling. It left like she had been robbed of some of her agency, and now stood powerless at the hands of her friends.

"I once burnt off a chunk of my brother's hair."

Dany turned to see Sirius standing next to her. He was looking at the Potters' magical gramophone.

"I was eight. Reg was almost seven. My darling mother had just told me off for wanting to go to the Muggle park near our house. And since she was so much taller and stronger than me, I couldn't do anything but sit and fume. Reg came up to me and said that mother was calling us down for dinner. It suddenly reminded me of how he was always the good one and never ever questioned our mother's terrible actions. It was an accidental piece of magic, but it was powerful enough for my father to 'discipline' me."

"That doesn't sound like chocolates and butterbeer," said Dany with a small smile.

"It wasn't. However," his lips curled up slightly as he continued. "The next time, I managed to burn three of my mother's favorite black gowns. The look on her face was worth it."

"How can you speak so lightly about such things?" she asked with a serious expression.

"How else would you have me speak? Life doesn't give us a long list of reasons to be happy. If there is any way to make things easier, lighter, happier- I would never hesitate. In the end, all that matter is love. Being loved, making your loved ones happy. And I would do anything for that. Anything."

"I think it's important to find out what matters the most to you," he continued. "I don't think anger is a bad thing per se. You just need to be able to channel it properly. And if you know what matters most, it might be easier to channel your emotions."

As Sirius continued talking, Dany realised two things. The first was that, she wasn't quite as alone as she always felt. The second - Sirius had a very beautiful voice.

She looked down at her feet, a small smile gracing her lips.

"You guys! Come quickly! It's not looking good!" They both whipped around at Peter's frantic voice.

"What's wrong Pete?" Sirius asked urgently.

"It's James. He's-"

"What? What happened to James?!"

"He's freaking out! I don't know what-"

"PETE! FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!"

"He just got his Hogwarts letter. He's been made Head Boy!"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **SO what'd you think? Was it weird? Please let me know your honest opinions. And hopefully, I won't take so long to update next time.**

 **Cheers xxx**


	22. Lucky Number 7

**A/N- HI GUYS! I'm back! This is a pretty short filler chapter but it has some foreshadowing :3 Another spiffing piece of news is that I've made an Instagram page for this story! WOOT WOOT! Go follow it now for snippets, casting, and other things you won't get on this platform! the handle is vantheman_jukebox**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

It felt strange to be boarding the Hogwarts Express for her final year. It wasn't the final time just yet, but the inevitability of a conclusion loomed heavy. The platform which had seemed daunting in her first year, now felt familiar and comforting. The hoards of students and their flustered parents milled about, the slow din gradually becoming louder. Dany had asked her parents to stop coming to the platform in her fourth year, but after Mike had started going to Hogwarts, they had insisted on accompanying both their children. Dany did not protest - it made her life a lot easier if she didn't have to deal with Mike alone. Things were still tense between them, and part of her wondered if that would ever change. What had she done that her brother behaved like he would prefer it if she didn't exist…

"Dany!" Remus' sandy head moved towards her, taller than the sea he was engulfed in. She smiled at him and tried not to focus on the fresh scars on his face. Remus hated to have attention drawn to his condition, and Dany understood why. Seeing people regard you with pity was something she hated herself.

"Remus! How've you been? Any sign of our Head Boy and Girl yet?"

"I think I saw Lily over there somewhere," said Remus, pointing to the other end of the platform. "Her parents are with her but no sign of her sister."

Dany nodded grimly. Things between Lily and her sister, Petunia, were steadily getting worse. The latter was currently dating a rather obnoxious muggle, creating more clashes between the two sisters.

"I see Marlene over there!" Dany waved at the athletically built girl with a mop of golden hair. "Marls! Over here!"

"Wotcher! How was your summer?" Marlene looked toned and tan. She must have practised a lot for her last Quidditch season.

"Lazing about, helping mum with work, avoiding Mike, eating, oh! And did I mention eating?" Dany grinned at the memory of her almost perfect summer. "What about you, Remus?"

"I went to my grandmother in Ireland. She hadn't seen my Prefect badge. She was pretty pleased about it." Remus was never one to brag, but you could detect the tiniest hint of pride as he talked about his grandmother's reaction.

"Your savior is here!" Sirius spread out his arms dramatically, bringing almost everyone's attention to him. A few sixth and seventh year girls giggled at him, to which Sirius responded with a wink and a smirk.

"I really think we need to get him that 'drama queen' sash this year," muttered Marlene.

"Or at least a crown," mused Remus.

"Even a tiara would do," added Dany, eyeing Sirius in amusement.

"I'll take all of those if you're handing them out," he said, walking up to them. "Marly, you look prepped for the season. James will be thrilled. Moony, ol' boy! I daresay you've grown over the summer. This-" he said, pointing towards Remus' head. "James will not be so thrilled about. And dearest darlingest Dany."

Dany rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't stop her cheeks feeling slightly hot. No matter how well she knew Sirius, it was very difficult to be unaffected by his charm. And he was really amping it up at the moment.

"I have a bone to pick with you," he continued, placing a hand over her shoulder. "The lads and I are a bit miffed you didn't tell us about your secret friendship with O'Brien."

"It's not a secr-"

"Uh, uh ,uh. Don't argue, dearest. You'll be needing to make some amends. So start using that brilliant brain of yours."

"You're not-" Dany stopped mid-sentence, noting Sirius' eyes light up mischievously. "You're joking, right?"

"My name is everything but. Think about it," he said, tapping her forehead before walking off with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm not actually going to have to make amends, am I?" asked Dany, glancing at her friends.

Remus chuckled softly, while Marlene shrugged her shoulders and made a rather obscene gesture with her hands.

"Lils!" Dany grinned at her redheaded friend who had just managed to extricate herself from her parents. "That badge looks good on you."

Lily beamed at her, the Head Girl badge flashing in the sunlight. "Thanks, Dany! I'm honestly a bit nervous about it all. This is such a huge responsibility. I don't want to mess up in any way."

"I'm sure you won't, Lils," Dany assured her. "You're the brightest witch in our year! And you've been Prefect for two years. You've got nothing to worry about."

There was a loud crash as a couple of second years found themselves on the receiving end of a Marauders' prank. Sirius barked out a laugh, sending a mock salute to the first years.

"Are you quite sure about that?" Lily sighed, preparing to tell off Sirius even before they had boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Before she could do anything, James had appeared from behind them, reassuring the frightened first and second years, before going over to where Sirius was standing.

"Tone it down a bit this year, yeah Pads?" he muttered, patting his best friend on the back. Sirius' grin faltered for a second before he nodded his head and walked away to talk to Peter.

"That was unexpected…" Dany let out a low whistle, while Lily was still staring at James with an open mouth.

"Lilykins!" James exclaimed, running over to hug his girlfriend.

"And he's back," chuckled Dany.

* * *

The first week of classes passed by in a blur. The teachers had made it their personal business to make sure none of the seventh years had even a sliver of time to do anything but study. On top of that, James and Lily had Head duties, while Remus and Dorcas (who had been made prefect in place of Lily) were also being run ragged. Dany found that she barely hit the bed before sleep overtook her every night. Defense Against the Dark Arts was proving to be particularly difficult with a new professor who looked like she was continuously being made to stand next to an extravagantly putrid smell.

But there were also a few good things that came with being a seventh year. Her continued association with the Marauders meant that she now had a close group of friends. She had become particularly close to James, Sirius and Marlene - all three happily swooping her up in their neverending Quidditch talks.

The first Saturday of the term happened to be Gryffindor quidditch tryouts. The position of the second Beater needed to be filled, and a good four hours out on the pitch ensured that the Lions had a complete team. Bertram Aubrey - a burly fifth year, was added to the team. Dany had gone for the tryouts, filling a vicarious thrill from watching everyone play Quidditch. Plus, James had instructed her to take notes as he would consult with her later. There was not much to consult, however. The Gryffindor team was by far the strongest in Hogwarts, and Dany had no doubt that they would lift the Cup again this year.

The seventh day of the week was blissfully relaxing thanks to a heavy downpour throughout the day. Most people slept in late, enjoying a rare day of doing nothing. Dany, however, was far from pleased.

She stared at the fire moodily. Stupid rain. Stupid uterus. Stupid fucking everything. She sent a silent glare towards James and Lily (stupid coupley couple) and stopped herself from summoning a bucket of ice water and dumping it over them both. Instead, she scowled and hugged the cushion closer to herself.

"Here. Eat this. It'll help." Sirius was standing in front of her, holding a large slab of chocolate in his hand. She turned her glare on him before a thought struck her.

"Hang on. How did you know?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

He smirked that god-awful, fucking sexy smirk of his and tapped his nose. "Padfoot can smell."

It took her a second to grasp what he was saying and when she did, her face turned the color of a tomato, heat rushing up her neck. He shot her a lopsided grin and sank into the sofa next to her. His stretched out, languid posture was a complete contrast to hers (the only time she had felt more stiff was when Dorcas had stunned her in DADA class). He turned his head slightly towards her and grinned at her lazily.

"Come on," he bumped his shoulder with hers. "You'll feel better. And you do so many utterly ridiculous things every day. This is the last thing you should feel embarrassed about."

She frowned and punched him on his arm. He just grinned at her and shoved the chocolate into her lap. Dany reluctantly broke off a piece and bit into it. Salted caramel and sea salt - mm… With a slight frown still gracing her forehead, she slid down the couch, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt his body tremble with a deep chuckle before his hand wound itself around her waist.

Yes, being friends with the Marauders definitely had its perks…

* * *

 **How short was that? Lol. Anyway, I should be able to put up quicker updates now that I'm on a sort of break (not really though).**

 **Ooh! Can anyone guess the MCU reference I chucked into this chapter? :3 Heu heu heu**

 **As always, I love all your reviews! Keep 'em coming!**

 **Cheers 3**


	23. Chaos Has A Wicked Mind

**A/N- So umm... that took longer than expected ._. Sorry for taking such a long time to upload the next chapter. I'm just having a hard time** **writing. But I'll keep going, albeit at a rather choppy pace. So bear with me.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"I assure you, sloppy work will not be tolerated in my class."

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was turning out to be a huge problem. She was extremely moody, terrible at communicating instructions, and unnecessarily harsh regarding punishments. She had given Peter a 3 foot long essay to write because he had forgotten to bring his textbook one day. If anyone underperformed in class, they would lose house points. But if they did better than what she expected, she would mark their homework more severely.

"You can't win with this goddamn woman!" Sirius stabbed his steak and kidney pie viciously, while Peter nodded understandingly.

"Well," said Remus, helping himself to some potatoes. "You didn't hide your frustration very well, did you?"

"Seriously, Pads, you almost got detention this entire week! The game against Slytherin is less than a month away." James looked more serious than usual, his voice lacking any sort of humor.

"Godric, why someone made you Head Boy _and_ Quidditch Captain, I'll never understand," grumbled Sirius.

"That someone definitely had it in for us." Marlene sounding very gloomy as well, the bags under her eyes indicative of how stressful that first month of school had been. "Where is Dorcas, by the way?"

"Sprout kept her back after Herbology today," mumbled Peter, through a mouthful of food. "Dunno for what though. Hope it doesn't make her miss lunch."

"That'd be a nightmare, wouldn't it, Pete?" asked Sirius, nudging his friend. Peter glared at his friend and proceeded to shovel more food into his mouth. Remus rolled his eyes and turned to Mary, asking her if she had finished the Transfiguration homework. McGonagall had given them a rather difficult assignment to complete just a few days before Halloween. Which meant that the Quidditch team would probably have a rough time balancing that with the first game against Slytherin. Lily leaned over and whispered something into Dany's ear, making the latter jump up from her seat.

"Bollocks! I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me, Lils," she said, hastily throwing on her jumper and packing her bag. "I'll see you guys later."

"Hey hey hey! Where're you headed off to in such a hurry?" Marlene asked.

"Slughorn wanted me to check some of the potions from a third year assignment. I'm supposed to have that done before class today." Dany huffed tiredly. "Although I dunno how I'll do that with Arithmancy right after lunch."

"That's hardly a problem," piped up Sirius. Dany frowned at him, hoping he wouldn't say something inappropriate. "You just need to skive Arithmancy."

"I'd rather not have McGonagall on my case, thank you very much. She'd put me in detention if she found out I'd missed class."

"Ah," said Sirius, standing up slowly. "That's where you're wrong, my law-abiding friend. You see, Arithmancy won't be taking place this afternoon. It's rather unfortunate. But true. Right Moony, ol' pal?"

Remus looked amused in a distinctly resigned way, but nodded his head nonetheless. Lily had pursed her lips together but Marlene shoved her rather roughly and she went back to eating her food.

"Absolutely," said James, clapping Remus on the back. "These unfortunate circumstances occur sometimes. Tragic, innit?"

"I couldn't agree more," said Remus with a shrug of his shoulders.

"That's settled then," said James, leaning back into his seat. "Now be off with you, Dany. Make sure you do your work diligently. And we'll make sure we do ours."

"I'm not doing anything until I finish my chicken," grumbled Peter, loading his plate once more.

"Right you are, Pete. Right you are," Remus smiled affectionately.

"Thanks." Dany smiled at them and proceeded to make her way to the dungeons. A little outside of the hall she realised that someone had followed her out.

"Sirius," she said, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?"

"With the potions. Come on," he said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "There's no way you're going to be able to finish assessing all those potions before class. Even with Arithmancy out of the way. So stop making a fuss. Time's a wastin'."

Dany rolled her eyes but acquiesced nonetheless. Oddly enough, she had been spending a lot of time with Sirius recently. They had almost all the same classes, and after class they all hung out in a huge group of nine. So it didn't really seem too out of place that he had volunteered to help her out. She was secretly happy about it. She had always enjoyed his company a lot. But with all that they had been through, she had been worried that they wouldn't be able to fall into an easy friendship again. And it was mainly because of Sirius that they had been able to. He could always switch on the relaxed charm and playful banter as if nothing had happened. And sometimes Dany was grateful for that. Because she was so unlike that. Her entire being was composed of sincerity and seriousness. Every fibre in her told her that if you're in for it then you're in for it for good - be it friendship or otherwise. In a way, it was probably for the best that Sirius had done all the things that he had done over the past year.

"Sirius," Dany asked, halfway through assessing her second potion. "What are your plans for after Hogwarts?"

"Bringing out the big guns, are we?" he smirked, noting the color of the fumes. "I'll probably go into Auror training. I think Prongs wants to do that as well."

"I see."

"But I suspect you have a follow up question."

"Not exactly a question." She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm pondering on the question myself. Have been for a while, actually. It's not going to be easy out there. Being muggle born."

Sirius didn't say anything, choosing to look at her as she put her thoughts into words. Deep down, he had also felt all the fears that Dany was expressing. And he knew James shared his concerns - especially since Lily was such a bright witch. Not just that, Remus was a part of the minority as well. It would be hell for him to try and secure a good job once Hogwarts was over. And if blood purity wasn't enough, one of their friends was of mixed heritage - Mary's mother was Indian and had passed on her olive skin to her daughter.

It did feel strange to have his thoughts reflected like this. Even with James, they had an unspoken understanding. They never truly needed to speak about the more serious issues in life. But Dany seemed to be hitting all the right points - in her own, unassuming way. She wasn't exactly confident, but she had an air of quiet conviction about her, as if she could be blown away by the wind but never actually be changed by it.

"It'll be alright though," he said, once she had stopped for breath. He moved towards her and looked into her dark eyes. "Because we're in this together."

"To...gether?" she breathed, not sure what he meant.

"Yeah. Together." The strand she had tucked back had come astray again. This time, Sirius was the one who ghosted his fingers over forehead and behind her ear, leaving a trail of goosebumps on her skin.

"Sirius, I-"

"Dany! Are you done with the potions? Dorcas and I thought we'd help." Dany went rigid at the sound of Lily's voice. Fortunately for her, there was a reasonable distance between her and Sirius.

"Excellent timing, Evans. We have a couple of potions left for you and Meadows." Sirius smirked at them, although Dany wasn't sure whether his tone held any sarcasm in it.

"In the meantime, Dany and I will head down to the kitchens for a quick snack before ol' Sluggy begins his torture. Cheers!" With that, he grabbed Dany's hand and pulled her out of the dungeons.

It wasn't too far to the kitchens but Dany felt like he had been holding her hand for eternity. That weird softly calloused palm that made her shiver (in a good way). It made her flashback to the moments they had shared before. Although it scared her somewhat, she knew that things would be alright as long as she knew what she was doing. And this was the last time she had been strung about by someone else. If she was going to enjoy her time with friends (including Sirius) she was going to do it her way.

So as they headed towards the painting of the fruit bowl, she laced her fingers with his a little more firmly, their arms touching as he tickled the pear.

* * *

"Tonight's Dueling Club is an activity the Headmaster wishes you to attempt." McGonagall's clipped tones echoed through the Great Hall. "Given the current circumstances out there, I can't say that I disagree. Professor Flitwick and I will be overseeing today's session, and after today, we will put you into groups depending on your experience and skill. Each group will meet on separate days to try and improve their duelling and advance to the next stage. Do I make myself clear?"

"And do we get to decide who we'll be duelling?"

"No, Mr. Black," McGonagall replied, dryly. "Fortunately, there are people more qualified than yourselves who will determine who you attempt to maim. Which, I might add, will succeed in earning you detention and a loss of 50 House Points. I hope I've made myself clear."

"Crystal," muttered Sirius.

"Now," said Flitwick, coming forward quickly. "If you would direct your eyes to his wall, you'll find out who your duelling partner is. This wall is charmed so everytime someone successfully ends a duel, they will be assigned a new partner."

"Let's see who we've got then," whispered Lily, linking her arm through Dany's.

 _Sirius Black - Caradoc Dearborn_

 _Lily Evans - Benjamin Fenwick_

 _Remus Lupin - Alexander Montague_

 _Marlene McKinnon - Mary McDonald_

 _Peter Pettigrew - Chloe Posen_

 _James Potter - Evan Rosier_

 _Daniella Wilson - Severus Snape_

"Bollocks! Dany got Snivellus!" exclaimed James. "I wanted a go at that slimy bastard.

"Yeah, no kidding." Sirius didn't look too happy at the way Snape was glaring at Dany.

"She'll be alright, mate," assured James, patting his friend's shoulder. "Snivellus is not gonna do anything to her."

"He better not." A low growl escaped Sirius as he and Caradoc bowed to each other.

Across the room, Dany was preparing herself for the worst. Not that she hated duelling. She just hated Snape. And if the filthy stare he was giving her was anything to go by, this wasn't going to be easy.

" _Levicorpus!_ " He shouted, even before she had finished bowing. Dany was barely able to put up a shield before the hex hit her. Soon she was under siege, Snape throwing curses she had barely ever heard of at a pace that would make anyone dizzy.

Fortunately, this was also how he was revealing his duelling style to her and soon she was able to predict what he would hit her with next. Not that she was hitting back yet. No. She was still putting up shields and studying his movements carefully. That's when she caught it - the lazy little finger on Snape's wand arm. He was slowly loosening his grip on the wand, complacency taking over. She just manage to dodge a rather nasty Stinging Jinx and sent a non-verbal Disarming Charm his way.

With a small flick, Snape's wand lay a few metres away from him, the shock paralysing him for a second. And that second was all that Dany needed.

" _Stupefy!_ " The red jet of light hit him square in the chest, knocking him back with a tremendous force.

"Well done, Ms. Wilson!" Flitwick ran over to her, beaming. "Did you see that, Minerva?"

"I most certainly did, Filius," said McGonagall, a hint of a smile curving her lips. "That was very impressive use of strategy on your part, Ms. Wilson. You were battling your opponent, and not the spells. You have quite an interesting talent."

"Oh, er…" Dany flushed, not sure why they were praising her. "I don't think-"

"Nonsense! 10 points to Gryffindor, my dear!" squealed Flitwick.

"It is now time to divide you into groups," announced McGonagall. "Gather around please."

There were 4 groups. The first comprised mainly of second, third and fourth years. The second was fifth years and a few bright ones from the years below. The third group was sixth and seventh years. And the fourth group comprised only 5 students.

"Sirius Black, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Daniella Wilson - you five have proven yourselves the best in the school. Your task will be to personally tutor one promising student assigned to you. Ms. Wilson, you will work with Mr. Westwick." The fourth year from Hufflepuff nodded his head shyly. "Mr. Potter, you will work with Mr. Black." There were a few gasps as James nodded his head stiffly, trying not to look at Regulus. "Mr. Lupin, you will work with Mr. Snape." The gasps were more audible this time, including one from James. "Ms. Evans, you will work with Ms. McKinnon." Lily smiled at Marlene, even though the air was pretty tense. "And finally, Mr. Black, you will work with Mr. Wilson." Dany's eyes widened in horror as her brother waved at Sirius.

* * *

"This can't be right."

Lily gave her friend an understanding look. Dany was quite flustered by the fact that her brother, a second year student, had been paired with Sirius for advanced duelling practice.

"He's a second year, Lils! How is this allowed?"she exclaimed, munching on a Chocolate Frog.

"Maybe he's just really good," shrugged Lily.

"How good can he be?!"

"I agree with you, Dany," said Remus, stretching out his legs. "But McGonagall and Flitwick made this decision. We can trust them."

"And its Sirius! He's one of us! You've nothing to be worried about!" Mary added, helpfully.

"I suppose…" Dany replied uncertainly. "But I still think-"

"I AM GOING TO MURDER THAT BASTARD!"

Everyone started slightly at Sirius' angry voice coming through the portrait hole. He was still in his Quidditch gear, although most of the mud stains were dry, which meant practice hadn't just ended.

"Padfoot," asked Remus, standing up. "What happened?"

"Bertram Aubrey's what happened!" snarled Sirius. "That bastard's too smug to play this sport. I've told James that from the start. And now look what he's gone and done! Knocked out Marlene during today's practice! Who knows how long she'll be out! She could be seriously injured!"

"Sirius, calm down," said Lily, making room for him on the sofa. "Where's James?"

"Still at the Hospital Wing. Said he'd wait until she regained consciousness,"

"That could take forever!" exclaimed Peter. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound selfish."

"'S alright, Pete." James walked through the portrait hole looking worn out and exhausted. "She's up."

"Really?" Sirius got up and embraced James. "Thank Merlin! I was afraid-"

"But she can't play in Saturday's game."

"What?" Everyone in the room was silent. The game was in a week. And Marlene was their Keeper. Without her…

"We can't play without a Keeper, Prongs-"

"Don't you think I fucking know that, Pads?" James snapped at his friend. "Excuse me, I need a shower."

"Prongs-"

"Let him be for a bit, Padfoot," said Remus, holding his friend's shoulder.

"Whatever." Sirius shrugged off Remus' hand and stomped out of the common room, while Lily, Dany and Dorcas exchanged worried looks.

* * *

 **Tell me ho** **w you liked it! I live for your reviews ^_^ Much love and hopefully see you guys a lot sooner. And don't forget the INstagram page for this story!**

 **Cheers xxx**


	24. Ye Olde Black Blood

**A/n- Do your eyes deceive you? Is that really a double update? Yes it is! I'm so excited that I'm not going to take a year and a half to update the next chapter! YASSSSSS BABY! Anyway, hope you guys like it! ^_^**

 **Disclaimer: I do not o** **wn Harry Potter.**

* * *

Lily came down for breakfast on Sunday, slightly disgruntled and distinctly boyfriend-less.

"He said he's not hungry," she said, grabbing a piece of buttered toast from the pile in front of her.

"He hasn't come down for meals since that evening. Are you sure he's going to be alright?" asked Dorcas, looking worried.

"He's got a box full of food hidden under his bed," snorted Sirius, derisively.

"He does," admitted Lily, reluctantly. "I'm more worried about your first match. James is clearly obsessing about it. But I don't know whether he's going to make much headway on his own." She glanced meaningfully at Sirius.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm done with breakfast." Sirius got up and walked off, not sparing a glance at any of the others.

"I can't believe those two are having a cold war right now," sighed Lily. "They need to be using their heads. Together."

"They don't make them more stubborn than Black and Potter, I'm afraid." Remus let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. "The dorm was hell last night. No one does passive aggressive better than teenage blokes with massive egos."

"I'll be right back." Dany picked up a particularly large apple and ran out of the hall.

"Sirius!" He turned around to see her running after him, her hair flying out of her ponytail. "Hold on! I'm not athletically inclined like you."

A tiny smirk lit up his dark expression. "That's debatable."

"I have a peace offering." She thrust a special edition Honeydukes slab at him.

"For what? I wasn't aware that we were at war." He was looking distinctly amused now.

"It's from James. Lily gave it to me because you walked off in such a huff." She raised her eyebrows at him, beckoning him to take it.

"In exchange for what?" His face hardened slightly as he examined the chocolate.

"Cooperation."

It was clear that Sirius did not like the idea of letting go of his anger so easily but after a few long moments, he grabbed the bar. "Alright. I'll help."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the bar of Honeydukes changed into a rather large, a rather red, apple.

"Okay, so James didn't send this," said Dany, failing to hide her delighted smile. "But if you do help, the real bar of chocolate is under my bed."

"I'm impressed." Sirius chuckled. "Not the most elegant planning. But it can be excused seeing as I didn't see through it."

"Great! Let's get you back to the common room. You and James can start working on a strategy to replace Marls."

"Oh no… I said I would help. I never said I would be talking to James."

"How will you manage to do that?" she asked, confused.

"By training our new Keeper."

"Wait, I thought you didn't have a reserve."

"We don't. But I'm going to train someone who I'm sure will do very well on the field."

"And who is that?"

"You."

* * *

Lily had a bad feeling as soon as she saw Dany run out of the hall like that. She had waited a few minutes but in the end, her anxiety got the better of her and she walked out as well. And what she found was Dany and Sirius in the middle of a shouting match.

"You are utterly insane! I have _never_ played Quidditch in my life!" Dany looked like she was an inch away from hexing Sirius into oblivion.

"I know! I know… You haven't played Quidditch before. But," he paused, trying to calm her down. "You know it so well. The plays, the tactics, the history - everything! And you know our team inside out. You've sat with us for numerous brainstorming sessions! The only thing missing is that you can't fly. But that's what I'm going to train you for! And contrary to what you said earlier, you are athletically inclined. You play muggle sports so well!"

"They are ON THE GROUND!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But please, just trust me. I can teach you to fly in a day. I know I can. And I know you can. So will you trust me?"

"I think you should do it, Dany." Lily placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I know James doesn't have an alternative right now. And if you're the best shot, then I think we should go for it. Please."

Dany looked between them incredulously. Were they seriously suggesting that she learn to play Quidditch in less than a week? Apparently they were.

She shook her head in disbelief and walked away, not sure where her legs were carrying her.

* * *

"Is there no one else?" Lily looked at Sirius as they sat by the lake.

"Might be. But we don't have enough time. I know she can do it. She has it in her. And I'm the first line of defense. I won't let those Slytherin bastards get anywhere near her."

Lily purses her lips together. She wasn't particularly keen on Quidditch but she knew that it meant a lot to her friends. Especially James.

"Won't you run this by him once?" she asked him tentatively.

"Absolutely not." Sirius' eyes had hardened. "James thinks that I'm incapable of taking responsibility and I'll never be good enough to lead people. This is my chance to prove him wrong."

"'Incapable of taking responsibility'? Where is this coming from?" asked Lily, extremely confused.

"Doesn't matter. Just don't tell him anything about this yet. Please, Lily." It was probably the first time Sirius had addressed her by her first name. She knew that he trusted her a lot. "Help me convince her. If you help, I know she'll agree."

"Alright. But I have one condition."

"Name it."

"You have to tell James once Dany gets a hang of flying."

"You can do the honors. Thank you, Lily."

* * *

The library was usually a place where people came to study and cherished the quiet around them. Dany had escaped to the Transfiguration section in hopes of avoiding a certain grey eyed boy. His idea was ridiculous even by the Marauders' usual standard. And she was absolutely not going to play along.

 _Although it would have been cool to play Quidditch properly for once._

A long sigh escaped her and she continued searching for one of the books that McGonagall had recommended for their pre-Halloween assignment. Another good reason for her to not agree to Sirius' plans.

"Was that a sigh of regret?"

Dany nearly jumped out of her skin at the warm whisper near her neck. She turned and saw Sirius standing there with his hair only slightly disheveled.

"Your trysts in the broom closet seem to have messed up your auditory impulses."

"That was a terrible attempt," he chuckled. "Even by your standards."

"Come on, Juliet. Just say you'll do it. We'd all owe you eternally."

"No," she hissed. "And stop calling me that. I hate that name. And everything associated with that character."

Sirius watched her as she continued searching for her book. She really loved blues and greys. Those colors were only second to black and white. In fact, he felt like he had never seen her wearing red (other than the stripes on her tie). This just increased his resolve to see her in the Gryffindor Jersey.

"You're being awfully stubborn." He was standing very close to her. So close that he could see her collarbone where her grey jumper had shifted slightly. He gulped quickly and focused on maintaining eye contact.

"Pot meet kettle." She refused to break eye contact. Her head was tilted slightly upwards as he was a tiny bit taller than her. He was noticing all these fascinating details about her. Like the tiny beauty mark on her left cheek. The slight dent on the bridge of her nose. Her cupid bow lips…

"Dany?" They jumped apart at the sound of Lily's voice. She had a slight frown on her face, although Dany didn't quite understand the look she exchanged with Sirius.

"What're you doing here, Lils?" she asked not in the mood for games.

"What is it going to take to convince you to play on Saturday?"

Dany was a little taken aback by her blunt reply. Her friend looked determined. And it didn't look like Sirius was going to give up anytime soon. Quite frankly, she was tired of fighting. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to let Sirius train her. She could always back out if she was absolute rubbish. Surely, they wouldn't want her then.

"A chance for me to back out if I feel like I can't do it," she said finally.

Sirius' face broke out into a brilliant smile, almost making Dany drop her books in surprise. It really was unfair how handsome the boy was. Lily came forward and hugged her tightly.

"I knew we could count on you, Dany!"

As she let go, Sirius enveloped her into a hug as well. Dany was caught unawares as his fresh cologne hit her senses. She tentatively hugged him back, willing her heart to stop racing like a bloody idiot.

"You're the absolute best!" Sirius whispered into her ear, before laying a quick kiss on her forehead. "I'll meet you on the Quidditch pitch in an hour."

Dany nodded her head, trying furiously to not make eye contact with a rather pleased redhead.

* * *

"Look," said Dany, rolling her eyes. "I know how to mount a broom. I'm just not good with navigation and turns."

"Fine," Sirius chuckled, throwing the spare broom her way. "Let's go for a round and I'll see what needs to be addressed."

Dany took the broom and kicked off, slightly unsteady having not flown in a few years. Eventually, she felt comfortable in the air and began hovering at a safe distance. Sirius asked her to make a few simple turns and then move on to higher speeds.

He noticed, that although her turns were fairly good, she started to lose control as her speed increased. It was more due to lack of confidence and minimal experience than anything else. Whatever it was, she was quick to catch on to what he was saying. She was a rather excellent student.

"I think this should be enough for today. Let's meet before class tomorrow. I'll toss the Quaffle around a bit. Then we can release the Bludgers in the evening." Sirius flew down and walked back to the locker room, not noticing the frown on Dany's forehead.

The next morning followed in similar fashion. Sirius continued his training, completely unaware of Dany's growing irritation. Because contrary to his opinion, Dany was not enjoying their sessions. He was far too strict and criticised her every move. He had a terrible way of making you feel incredibly ashamed of your most valiant efforts by absolutely obliterating any sense of confidence you had in yourself. It was, simply put, his Black blood speaking.

"Sirius, can we take a break? I'm exhausted." Dany wiped the sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"I'm sure you're aware that Quidditch matches can sometimes go on for days," he said, raising his eyebrow. "But if you think you need a break then I'm not one to stop you."

"Damn right, you aren't," she muttered, flying down and taking a huge gulp of water.

It was Lily who noticed the tension between the two during Charms that day. It was subtle, but she had caught a glimpse of Dany's temper before. So she knew something had to be done before those two reached breaking point.

* * *

"Concentrate, Wilson! The Slytherins don't care if you haven't played a bloody match before! They'll knock you out irrespective!"

Dany ground her teeth together, focusing on the incoming Quaffle rather than driving Sirius' head through a wall. He was getting more and more insufferable by the minute!

"Catch the bloody Quaffle!" He yelled, as Dany's fingers managed to graze the red ball before it went through the left hoop.

"I'm trying!"

"Well try harder! This isn't a bloody strategy session!" He aimed another shot at the goals, the sheer force in his throw knocking the wind out of her as she managed to catch it.

He continued his onslaught for another 20 minutes before deciding that it was time to release the Bludgers. He got out his Beater's bat and charmed the Quaffle to keep aiming itself at one of the goal hoops. His job was now to direct the Bludgers in a way so that it resembled an actual match.

Dany's muscles were sore and her head was starting to ache. On top of that, it had started raining some time ago. She had slammed into one of the goal posts in an attempt to avoid an incoming Bludger, and she was pretty sure it would leave a nasty bruise on her arm the next day. Exhaustion was setting in rapidly and it took all her strength to catch the next shot. However, she was a bit too late in noticing the Bludger that was headed her way. In a moment of sheer panic, she swerved to dodge it, the sudden movement not registering with her tired body and resulting in her losing balance and falling off the broom.

Well not totally falling off. She had managed to grab on by her left hand, hot white fear pulsing through her. She suddenly felt a pair of arms around her waist and looked at the person who had helped her back on her broom.

"James!" she croaked in relief, her eyes welling up immediately.

"It's alright, Dany!" He smiled at her, guiding both of their brooms back to the ground. As soon as she got off, her legs felt wobbly but another pair of hands came up to support her. She turned around and saw Lily nodding her head encouragingly.

"Dany! Are you alright?" Sirius yelled, running towards her in panic. "Merlin! I didn't think I would get to you in tim-"

 _WHACK!_

Dany's ignored the throbbing in her hand as Sirius looked absolutely shocked at being slapped.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT?" she yelled, her voice broken and uneven. "YOU'RE THE ABSOLUTE WORST, BLACK! SO FUCK OFF!"

"Dany, I-"

"Padfoot, don't." James put a hand up to stop his friend before beckoning Lily to take her back inside. Once they were out of earshot, he turned towards Sirius with a soft expression.

"She's basically running on adrenaline right now. She'd have collapsed right here if we had let her go on."

Sirius looked away, his fists clenched in frustration.

"You did the right thing by choosing to train her. But maybe you could've gone a little easier, mate," James continued, grasping his friend's shoulder. "She's not just anybody. She's Dany. She's our friend. Your friend. And she's basically doing us a favor."

"I'm sorry," Sirius huffed, frustratedly. "I only wanted to help. But like always, I've only managed to fuck things up."

"That's not true, mate. She'll be alright tomorrow after a good night's rest and some time away from the source of her anger." James raised his eyebrows knowingly and Sirius had the decency to look ashamed.

"Do you think I should apologise tomorrow?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"What if she's still mad at me, Prongs?"

"Then you'll just have to keep trying. Because she's not just anybody."

"She's Dany," said Sirius, quietly as he looked back at the castle.

* * *

 **I think a huge reason behind this chapter** **was to get you guys to see the different sides of both Dany and Sirius. There are flirtatious encounters but that doesn't mean that things can't quickly turn sour. Another point I wanted to make was that even though Sirius and James seemed to be in the middle of an argument, they didn't actually need to talk things out to make up. I feel like they've been through these kinds of situations/fights many times before and they are able to resolve things easily when something of more importance comes up - in this case it was Dany's training. Also, Sirius and Dany's dynamic is pretty messed up right now. They don't know each other well enough to understand the reasons behind each others' actions. But they're close enough to get very riled up by each other as well. Strong emotions. But maybe the reason isn't clear yet. And it will probably take a while to figure that out. However, you guys have the match against Slytherin to look forward to in the next chapter. Plus an exciting showdown!**

 **Please leave a review to let me know how you like the story! And feel free to ask any questions.**

 **Cheers xxx**


	25. Technicolor Coaster Ride

**A/N- Praise y'all! Here's another chappie for you lot! This will probably be the last chapter in a while. I don't think I'll be able to post again this month. So enjoy this extra long chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Marly, how're you feeling?"

"Before you get any closer, Remus, is that a cream puff in your hand?" asked Marlene, sitting up straight. Remus grinned and handed over the particular confectionary to his friend. "You really are a darling. I'd absolutely date you if you didn't have this strict I'm-not-anyone's-type attitude."

Remus rolled his eyes and sat down on the chair next to her bed. Dorcas was sitting on the opposite side, frantically scribbling something that Lily had asked her to finish for the Prefects' meeting. The redhead was, herself, in the middle of running an errand for Slughorn. The old fool was rather good at taking advantage of his best students, Remus surmised.

"How's the Dany situation progressing?" Marlene asked, brushing crumbs off her covers.

"James is handling it infinitely better than Sirius was," Remus mused, yawning loudly. "Dany still refuses to talk to Sirius. Which could be a problem in the future."

"Seeing as how the game is in three days? Yes, I can imagine how you'd conclude that," Marlene grinned. "But she'll be okay soon. She just needs time to cool off. And Sirius should absolutely apologize to her as soon as she decides to stop ignoring him."

"That's what I told him. But if I know Sirius, and I'm pretty sure I do, he'll get impatient soon. And that's when he takes stupid decisions."

"Why don't you talk to Dany, Remus?" asked Dorcas, finally finished with her work. "You're the most level headed of us all."

"I would," sighed Remus. "But I have a dueling session with Snape in an hour. And Dany is training with James till 7. I can only talk to her after dinner. If I'm still in one piece, that is."

"Ah, I had forgotten about that. Rotten luck on that one, Remus," Marlene conceded, looking disturbed by the prospect of having anything to do with Snape.

"Mr. Lupin, Ms. Meadows," Madam Pomfrey's disapproving voice pierced through the air. "It's good to see that you both are _still_ here at the Hospital Wing." Dorcas shot Remus an amused look. "You can inform Professor McGonagall that Ms. McKinnon will be fit to resume classes from Monday. And," she raised her eyebrows at them. "I suggest you relay this news to her right now and exit my Hospital Wing."

"Of course, Madam Pomfrey!" Remus got up hastily.

"See ya, Marly!" Dorcas waved, running to catch up with Remus' long legs.

* * *

"I think I can train with the team from tomorrow," Dany called out, throwing the Quaffle back to James. "What'd you think?"

"I would've suggested it myself but I wasn't sure if you were okay with Sirius yet." James paused deliberately, gauging her reaction. "Are you okay with him?"

Dany shrugged her shoulders, carefully landing on the ground. "I won't slap him the next time he speaks to me, if that's what you mean."

"Excellent!" grinned James. "I always took that as a positive sign with Lily."

"Yes, but you're in love with Lily. And vice versa," said Dany, dryly.

"Details," waved off James. "Anyway, I need to set up a session with Regulus soon. Or it might seem like I actually _don't_ want to work with him."

"Whatever it is, it can't be worse than Remus," grimaced Dany. "I'll see you later, James."

Dany put away the spare broom she had been practising on, and trudged back to the castle. There were exactly two days before the match against Slytherin. Her stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought. Why had agreed to this again? Whatever the case, she couldn't back out now. In fact, she didn't really want to back out either. She wanted to have a go at playing a proper match. To see whether she could fulfill one of the few dreams she had held onto since entering Hogwarts at the age of eleven.

Lily, Dorcas, Mary, Sirius, and Peter were already seated by the time she entered the Great Hall. Dorcas made room for her between herself and Lily, so that she was sitting opposite Mary. Peter grunted a hello before hacking off a large chunk of chicken. He really cared about nothing else when there was food in front of him. Sirius, on the other hand, was scrutinising her intensely. She felt a soft kick on her leg and looked at the grey-eyed offender.

 _Sorry,_ he mouthed to her, raising his eyebrows apologetically. Dany clenched her jaw and went back to finishing the stew in front of her. The awkwardly stilted conversation around her stopped as Remus sat down, looking decidedly ragged, no doubt the result of his dueling session with Snape.

As everyone turned their attention to the sandy haired boy, Dany kicked Sirius' leg under the table. He looked up in surprise, not exactly sure what to expect. The sheer anxiety on his handsome features amused Dany to no end, and she finally offered him a tiny smile.

All the uncertainty melted away from his features as Sirius gave her a brilliant, heart-stopping smile. Dany had to physically restrain herself from gasping in appreciation. That certainly would not do. Otherwise the bloke would be under the ridiculous, and horrifyingly accurate, impression that his smile could fix anything.

Unbeknownst to them, a certain red head had been observing their exchange with great interest, tucking away certain facts into her brain, to be used with great effect in the future.

* * *

Saturday was the day of the match. Dany had spent the last couple of days avoiding sneak attacks from various members of Slytherin, barely managing to finish McGonagall's assignment, nearly falling falling into a cauldron of Polyjuice after dozing off during Potions, and dodging a series of uncomfortable questions from Marlene.

"So he just happened to be there?" she had asked, referring to Sirius' presence during a minor skirmish with a sixth year Slytherin. "When you finished Arithmancy and he got done with Care of Magical Creatures? Which are at two opposite ends of the castle?"

"Care of Magical Creatures isn't even in the castle," supplied Lily, helpfully.

"Right. Thank you so much, Lils," beamed Marlene.

"This is your last Hospital visit, Marly. I'll see you when you get out." Dany gave her a dirty look and walked off.

"Good luck for tomorrow, Dany!" Marlene called out after her. "Don't get distracted!"

Honestly, thought Dany as she put on her Keeper's gloves, there would be no possibility of her getting distracted by anyone - grey eyed or otherwise. Her hands would be full dealing with the vicious Chasers on the opposition team. Thomas Montague, in particular, looked like he wanted nothing better than to see her fall off her broom and get hit by a Bludger mid-fall.

"Alright everyone!" James had begun his pre-match pep talk. And after hearing it for the first time, Dany realised that he was born to be a leader. Even then, his positivity couldn't quell the rumbling in her stomach as she gulped nervously. She felt someone's hand grasp hers and lace their fingers together.

"It'll be fine," assured Sirius, smiling at her.

"Hmm," Dany sighed, closing her eyes and leaning on him slightly. She was allowed this much. These were special circumstances after all.

"Captains, shake hands." Madam Hooch eyed them carefully as James and Lucinda Talkalot shook hands.

The whistle was blown and the Snitch was released. Dany was sure that there was some commentary going on and that her name had been mentioned, but her nerves seemed to have momentarily rendered her incapable of hearing anything except for the thumping in her ears.

"Macnair has the Quaffle! Potter hot on his heels! But Montague gets the Bludger right in time! All that stands between Macnair and the goal is new Keeper Wilson! He's headed straight for her and- Oh! He feigns left and passes to Carrow who SCORES! Slytherin have scored the first goal of the match!"

Dany willed herself to remain calm, Carrow has said some nasty things to her after scoring the goal. She was trying to focus on the game and not get rattled by his racist slurs.

Fortunately, James was in top form. Soon, he had scored three goals and assisted in a fourth. Sirius and the Bertram Aubrey were also doing a good job of keeping the Slytherin Chasers occupied. Dany had managed to save a couple of goals and the knot in her stomach was gradually easing away.

"The score is 100-60 in favor of Gryffindor! If you want to see an exquisite example of teamwork, then look no further! This Gryffindor team has been trying its utmost to protect their very green Keeper! But it looks like they need not have worried because Wilson just blocked another attempt by Carrow! Potter has the Quaffle again-"

Dany was starting to feel tired. The match had been going on for just under forty minutes and it appeared that she was the only one needing severe rehydration. Which was not surprising seeing as all the other players in the air had played plenty of matches before.

"Looks like Black has spotted the Snitch! He's racing towards the Gryffindor hoops with Longbottom hot on his trail! Uh oh! It looks like Wilson hasn't realised what's going on! The two Seekers are headed right towards her and- oh! She swerved out of the way just in time! Looks like she scared off the Snitch as well."

Regulus Black have her a filthy look before flying back to position. Frank nodded once to make sure she was okay before he too moved back to his spot.

"Potter scores another one! The score is now 130-100 in favor of Gryffindor and- It looks like Longbottom has spotted the Snitch this time! Black seems to have picks up on it as well! They're both racing towards it and OH! Well timed Bludger by Sirius Black temporarily throws his brother Regulus off course. Longbottom is still chasing after the Snitch and HE'S CAUGHT IT! LONGBOTTOM HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WIN!"

* * *

Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin was celebrated by a customary post-match party in the common room. Peter had snuck into Hogsmeade in Animagus form, and smuggled a large stash of Butterbeer and Firewhiskey from Rosmerta. The House Elves were fully aware of the fact that a victory involving 'Masters Potter and Black' warranted huge amounts of food.

"This happens each year, but I still can't help wonder how you lot manage to stir up such chaos," Lily yelled over the music.

"Talent for trouble, remember?" James grinned and kissed her chastely. "Moony, what in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"Yes, Remus," added Lily, uncertainly. "Even I think studying at a victory party is going too far."

Remus looked slightly guilty but held up the book he had been devouring in a slightly less chaotic corner of the common room.

" _Beyond Bias: Rare Forms of Magic Found in Muggleborns,"_ read out Lily, glancing at Remus in confusion. "Where did you find it?"

"In the library. Someone had charmed it to look like _A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration._ I've just been reading about a very rare ability in some Muggleborns. They can gauge the intensity of magical ability in others- particularly those they have a blood connection with." Remus looked like Christmas had come early, and although Lily agreed that the book seemed interesting, she shut it purposefully and told Peter to put it away in the boys' dorm.

"Here's a butterbeer," she offered, holding a red cup. "Knowledge can wait till tomorrow." Remus chuckled in defeat and took the drink from her.

"Has anyone seen Dany?" he asked.

"She was surrounded by many overnight fans, last I saw her," shrugged James. "She must be here somewhere." He pulled Lily in towards him and soon, Remus walked away, not overly comfortable watching his friends snogging intensely.

James had been right about Dany, however. She was finding it very difficult to not dissolve into a puddle of anxiety at all the attention being directed at her. Apparently, not losing your first match as a last minute substitute female Keeper, warranted many drunken hellos and borderline harassment from people she had never seen before.

"Let's get out of here," Sirius whispered, suddenly by her side. "You look like you're about to pass out."

Dany followed him out gratefully. She was aware that Lily, Dorcas and the others were all inside, but she was far too overwhelmed to care. These were moments when she felt extremely relieved to have friends like Sirius and James. It's not because they were boys- it's because their personalities were such. Remus and Peter, although equally enjoyable company, did not have the charisma that the other two did.

"That was a close one," chuckled Sirius. "You looked so terribly pale back there. I was contemplating having you chug a few pints of Firewhiskey. But then I remembered that you aren't so fond of the concept."

A small smile made its way to her face as she listened to Sirius ramble on. It was clear that he was taking the brunt of the conversation on himself so that she felt better. It was so oddly thoughtful that Dany couldn't stop herself anymore.

"Thank you, Sirius," she said, softly, leaning in and placing a lingering kiss on his cheek.

He looked like a deer caught in the headlights and stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Just as she was pulling away, he cupped her face with his hands and brought her lips to meet his.

Dany froze for the tiniest of moments before wrapping her arms around his neck. She returned his kiss with fervor, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers. Even though this wasn't the first time they were in such a situation, she felt like she could finally savor the feeling of Sirius. His hands moved into her hair, pressing himself more and more close to her. Her heart was racing as she struggled to keep her knees steady. Sirius steered them into a corner, his mouth leaving a trail of butterfly kisses down her neck. Dany moaned softly, pulling him back up to meet her in another searing kiss.

Gradually, they slowed down, Dany breathing heavily and wondering exactly how ravished she looked. The look in Sirius' eyes indicated that he would gladly continue if she obliged, and Dany was pretty sure she was on the brink of doing just that. However, the cold feeling of reality washed over her soon enough, as she secured her hair into a bun. With one last look at him, she went back through the portrait hole, hoping that no one had seen them.

* * *

Monday dawned cold and dreary. Dany had more or less slept through Sunday, the exhilaration of the match and the events afterward had left her far more exhausted than she had expected. She had woken up around 7 in the evening, her stomach growling unceremoniously. By the time she had dragged herself down to the Great Hall, the boys (including Sirius) had already left. Although slightly relieved that she wouldn't have to face him immediately, there was a part of her which felt a little uneasy. This feeling was further increased when she didn't see him at breakfast the next morning. Remus informed them that Sirius had slept in and would probably make it in the nick of time for Charms. Even then, this did not comfort Dany.

It was just before lunch when Dany found herself wandering around the Transfiguration courtyard. She was enjoying a rare break as Professor Vector had let them off early. Sirius had been there during Charms and had seemed alright on the surface. Dany couldn't bring herself to say anything, both out of fear and a strange sense of rejection. So she was distinctly surprised when she heard his voice a little way away, along with someone she hadn't really expected.

"Mike?" she asked, looking between her brother and Sirius accusingly. "What're you doing here? Don't you have class?"

As was customary in the recent years, Mike did not reply, choosing to continue his conversation with Sirius, while the latter looked slightly uncomfortable. Dany felt the white hot rage pulsing through her once again. She didn't usually react like this when it came to her brother, adopting a perpetually resigned state when he misbehaved. It was different this time, though.

"Mike!" she hissed, standing between him and Sirius so that he could not ignore her. "Do not ignore me when I speak to you. I've tolerated your behavior long enough! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Dany," interjected Sirius, catching the fleeting glimpse of fear in Mike's eyes. "I'm supposed to train him, remember? We were discussing the best times for us to meet for duelling practice."

"Stay out of this." Her eyes were flashing with anger.

"Have to say your choice in birds is lacking, mate," commented Mike, nonchalantly. "If you could ever be interested in my sister. I'll see you later."

The younger boy walked off, leaving Sirius and Dany in the middle of the courtyard and an unresolved situation.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Sirius, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, whirling around with accusatory eyes.

"Dany, what on earth is the matter?! And why were you shouting at Mike like that?"

"Since when did you start defending him?"

"Wha- That's not the point! I can't understand why you're so upset!" he asked, very perturbed.

"I clearly have no reason to be upset! It's not like you snogged me, avoided me like the plague, told me you were relieved when I agreed that it meant nothing, feigned interest in me so that I wouldn't find out about my friends dating, saved my life while revealing that you're an unregistered Animagus, snogged me again, and are now acting like nothing happened!"

Sirius stood stock still for a moment, as she ended her outburst. The concern in his eyes transformed into anger as he took a step closer to her.

"'Acting as if nothing happened?' What the hell are you talking about?" he growled.

"Really? Then tell me. What does this mean? To you?" she flashed, her hand gripping her wand.

"You seriously don't understand?" he gritted out. "After all that's happened?"

"How could I? Since I don't know when you're playing a part and when you're being sincere." Her words cut through him like a knife. The boiling anger inside him turned into cold steel, his eyes completely devoid of expression.

"If that's the case, then I don't think you should bother."

Dany felt a pang of hurt but covered it up immediately. "Fine. Don't bother either."

With those words, they separated in two different directions, the weight of what had been left unsaid hanging heavy in the air.

* * *

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	26. Blood Baths Don't Always Feature Blood

**A/N- Hey guys! Sorry for the long gap again. But I've gotten a really awesome beta** **w** **ho's going through the all chapters no** **w. I'll be reuploading the chapters once I've made changes. So updates** **will be more sporadic from no** **w on. But luckily, I have the next chapter** **written so you** **won't have to** **wait long for that. I'm trying to move the plot along and taking all your points and suggestions into consideration. So please keep leaving your feedback. I love reading all of them!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not o** **wn Harry Potter.**

* * *

 _You're such a bloody idiot, Dany! What was the point of starting an ego war? Everything was pretty complicated as it was…_

It was currently 2 in the morning and while the entire Gryffindor seventh year girls dorm was asleep, a single raven haired witch lay awake, fighting every instinct to kick and scream her frustrations away. However, this might cause the rest of her dorm to react adversely, and truth be told, she was not keen on being hexed by any of the highly skilled seventh years she had spent her school life with.

So instead she rolled over to her other side and tried her hardest to calm her hyperactive mind. That's when she noticed that it was almost a full moon. Remus… She wondered how he was feeling. Had his pre-transformation symptoms kicked in? In all the drama that had happened with Sirius, she felt like she had hardly seen Remus in the last few days. She resolved to have a good, long talk with him the next day. Her mind felt a little more relaxed and, soon, she had drifted off to sleep.

"Padfoot," Remus said in a low voice. "For Merlin's sake, go to sleep. I can practically hear the cogs moving in your brain."

"Sorry, Moony," Sirius muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"What on earth is the matter? I haven't seen you have trouble sleeping since 5th year."

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep, Moony. You need your rest."

Remus opened his mouth to argue but Sirius had shut the curtains around his four poster bed with a sharp flick of his wand, indicating that the conversation was over. Strange. Why did Sirius sound so disturbed? Perhaps James would know. But asking James would have to wait till the morning.

Tuesdays usually meant double Potions. But the saving grace was that it was after lunch. The seventh years need only bother with Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology and Arithmancy, or if they were so lucky, nothing at all. Remus and Dany were both headed to Arithmancy after breakfast, while the others made their way to their respective classes.

"How've you been, Remus?" Dany adjusted the strap of her satchel.

"I've been better. I'm sure you've noticed that the full moon is only a couple of days away," he said in a low voice. "And what about yourself? I never got to speak to you after your thrilling Quidditch debut."

"Haha! That's right, I had almost forgotten about the match. It seems like ages ago…" she trailed off, her eyes becoming glazed as her mind flashed through everything that had happened in the last few days.

"Dany?" Remus waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh… yes! I'm fine!"

"You look a bit tired. Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's nothing! I, uh, I just didn't get much sleep last night," she mumbled, sheepishly.

"Seems like a common ailment these days. I wonder if its related in any way."

"Related to what?" she asked, stopping outside the Arithmancy classroom.

"Sirius. He couldn't sleep last night either. And since you two have this weird habit of temper coordination, I just assumed that it's related somehow."

"I see…" Dany smiled, uncertainly. She walked over to her seat, slightly absent minded once again and completely missing Remus' low chuckle.

* * *

"Evans, as if it wasn't bad enough that you're top of the class, but now you're reading advanced books outside of the syllabus in the tiny gap between classes?"

Lily flushed slightly and quickly shut the book she had been reading. James and Sirius had just walked into the dungeons and she had been so immersed in the book that she hadn't even noticed them. Sirius raised an eyebrow at her before sitting down in his regular seat.

"Isn't that the book Moony was reading that day?" James asked, leaning in for a quick kiss before taking the book from his girlfriend.

"It is. I can't tell you how fascinating it is, James! I can't believe I've never come across this before!"

"Really? Well, if it's something that my Lilykins likes, then it has to be interesting," he grinned at her.

"Get a room, Prongs," Sirius muttered, disinterestedly.

"What's got his knickers in a twist?" asked Lily in a low voice.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with our favorite substitute Keeper." Remus had joined the conversation, making sure to keep his voice low so that neither of the two concerned could hear him.

"Why's that?" James asked, eyeing his best friend and the girl preparing to sit beside him.

"I have a hunch. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time these two have gotten into a fight."

"Remus is right," Marlene piped up, her eyes glowing with mischief. "It's all that bloody sexual tension. I'm telling you, they've reached snog potential."

"McKinnon, your subtlety would put Mulciber to shame," Sirius drawled, clearly having caught what Marlene had said. "Keep that charming nose out of other people's business, alright love?"

"Ooh!" Marlene let out a low whistle. "He's miffed."

Indeed that was what Sirius was. He was confused and he was annoyed. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what was going on inside that girl's head. Her sudden flashes of temper, her eyes shining with accusation, and the way she made him feel like a complete tosser. He hadn't even done anything wrong, for Merlin's sake! He was supposed to be training with her brother! Why had she blown up like that?!

Slughorn had started his lecture and Sirius took this opportunity to glance at her quickly. Her brows were knitted together as she jotted down the important points from the lecture. But it wasn't that that gave away her rotten mood to Sirius. It was the way her cheeks appeared more hollow and sunken because of the strain she was putting on them. It was the way her left hand was clenched next to the inkpot. It was the way her eyes looked into his, with a wary resignation peppering the sparks of anger.

He didn't look away. Not this time. He wanted her to know that this wasn't going to be as simple as having a fight and then ignoring each other. She would actually have to hash this out with him. Or worse, actually come to some sort of conclusion on what they were to each other.

Eventually, she broke the eye contact. Her cheeks looked slightly pink but for the rest of the lesson, she avoided any sort of interaction with him. As soon as the bell rang, she bolted out of the dungeons as fast as she could. But Sirius was not one to be defeated so easily.

"I have a bad feeling about this," muttered Lily, as she swung her satchel over her shoulder and followed James to the common room.

"Don't be so morbid, Lilian!" James grinned at her. "Worst comes to worst, we'll be visiting Padfoot at the Hospital Wing for a few days."

"Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter, can I see you both in my office for a few minutes." McGonagall gave them a stiff nod and indicated that they follow her.

"Meet you back in the common room, Moony!" yelled out James, grinning at McGonagall apologetically as she threw him a look of disapproval.

* * *

"Wait."

Dany clenched her fists together. Sirius had followed her all the way to the other end of the castle. He was far too determined, she realised. She had severely underestimated him.

"Dany."

"What do you want?"

"To talk." Even though it was already November, Sirius' jumper was slung over his bag, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his tie loosened from its usual knot. He had a slight frown on his face as he walked closer to her.

"About yesterday," he began. "I'm not exactly sure what happened. Why were you so upset?"

Dany's cheeks burned with embarrassment as she pondered his question. She didn't really know how to answer his question. It made her feel so unsettlingly vulnerable.

"Was it just because I was with Mike?" he continued, his eyes softening slightly. "Because I don't think that's all it was. But I won't understand unless you tell me."

Dany still couldn't seem to find the words to answer him. She stood there, looking into his stormy grey eyes, millions of conflicting thoughts rushing through her brain. What did she want to say? What did she want him to know?

"Fine. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." He placed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall slightly. "But I'm not going to let this go. If you think you can shake me off by losing your temper and then stopping verbal communication, then you really don't know me well at all. I don't give up easily. And I'm in this for the long run."

Dany didn't get much of an opportunity to contemplate the meaning behind his words because no sooner had he said this, than he was leaning in towards her, dangerously close. His lips brushed against her cheek but it was also low enough to graze the pulse point on her neck, making her shiver at the contact.

She clutched the part he had just kissed, looking at him with searching eyes.

"I'll be waiting," he whispered, his voice strangely husky, and then moving away from her, he turned around and walked back in the direction of the Great Hall.

* * *

"I have received numerous complaints from Professor Hosenstein," McGonagall said as she beckoned them both to sit down. "Especially regarding Gryffindor students. Ordinarily, I would just speak to the students in question, but this is bordering on some sort of discrimination. Has anything happened that I should know of?"

James and Lily exchanged glances. There hadn't really been any specific incidents to speak of. Sure, Hosenstein had been perpetually irritated whenever she came to class. But there was no real reason for her to be targeting Gryffindors.

"I don't think so, Professor," said James, looking thoughtful. "Professor Hosenstein hasn't been particularly keen on teaching us in general. We haven't really had any significant incidents."

"You are quite sure of this?"

"Absolutely," agreed Lily. "Do you want us to speak to the seventh years? Or let the Prefects know? So that they can keep an eye on their years in particular."

"Not just yet, Ms. Evans." McGonagall sighed and straightened her glasses. "I shall speak to Professor Hosenstein and ask her exactly how she wants the students to behave. For the time being, I would ask you both to remain alert and perform your duties as always. Expect an owl from me soon regarding this incident. You may leave."

"Who would've guessed that Hosenstein has an even bigger stick up her arse, eh?" James wondered out loud as they headed back to the common room.

"But more importantly, McGonagall thought it important enough to call us in. Should we be worried, James?" Lily asked, tying her hair up in a bun.

"Not at the moment, Lils. At least, not from what we've heard so far. But I think," he said, dropping his voice slightly. "The old cloak needs to make an appearance soon."

"Don't do anything stupid," she said, kissing his cheek lightly. "I wouldn't want to put my boyfriend in detention."

James winked at her and bounded up the boys' staircase, two steps at a time. Lily smiled after him indulgently, almost tripping over a pair of shoes in the process. The owner of the shoes was currently lying on the sofa, curled up into an almost stationary ball.

"Dany?" Lily shook her shoulder softly, to which her friend just stared back with a glassy expression. "What're you doing here?"

Dany shook her head and shifted, making room for Lily to sit down. On closer inspection, the red head noticed that had noticeable bags under her eyes.

"Is everything okay? Did something happen with Sirius?" Lily felt Dany stiffen at the mention of the grey-eyed Marauder. "Come on, Dany, tell me what's wrong."

"I don't really know." Her voice was very low, hardly audible over the crackle of the fire. "And that's partly what's wrong."

"I… don't understand."

Dany turned her face towards the fire. She couldn't bare to look at Lily while saying these things. It was embarrassing and no matter how close they became, these were very raw, personal feelings she had never voiced before. The thoughts, feelings, and emotions she had regarding Sirius, how she didn't know how to deal with them, how she felt like it was much easier to not do anything, how she was mainly worried about making a mistake rather than actually thinking about relationships.

"Do you fancy him?" Lily asked simply. "Because I never once heard you say that."

Dany didn't reply. Oddly enough, she wasn't sure of the answer to Lily's question. And that fact gnawed at her insides more than anything else. Having snogged the bloke more than once, how could she not even know whether she fancied him in any way. In all her life, she had been extremely reserved, but despite not sharing things with people around her, she had always been truthful with herself. So the fact that she didn't know if she fancied Sirius, worried her more than she cared to admit.

"I think that's where you need to start. All this energy and emotion that you're investing- what is it for?" Lily got up and walked up the stairs to the girls' dorm, leaving Dany more anxious than before.

* * *

Meanwhile, James was back in the seventh year boys dorm, trying to understand exactly what it was about this godforsaken book that had both Lily and Remus completely hooked.

"Moony! Why in Merlin's name are you still reading this? You haven't finished Hosenstein's assignment yet." Remus looked up from the book, guiltily. James frowned and snatched the book away from him. "I'll keep this with me for the time being. Come on, Moony, you have more self control than all of us combined."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Remus scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It's just such a fascinating book. Do you remember what i was telling you and Lily during the victory party? Well, I was reading more about that and apparently they're called Indicators. Not the most innovative name, I agree. But I've actually been wondering if there might be any indicators at Hogwarts."

"Is there any way of finding out? Do they give out special signals or something?" James flipped through the pages thoughtfully.

"I haven't found anything related to that yet. But it's only something that is found in muggleborns, so that does narrow our field a little bit. I was thinking about doing some research with Lily. And if you helped us, I think we'd be able to progress much faster."

James pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, contemplating the information he had just skimmed through. "I'm game if she is. Can't say this isn't very rare magic, so we might have to put in a lot of time and effort."

"Brilliant! Thanks, Prongs!" beamed Remus. "I'll try find a time that would work for all three of us. I think we should start around Christmas."

"Sounds good, Moony. Now, if you'll excuse me," James yawned, falling onto his four poster bed. "I need a nap. Wake me up in time for dinner, will you?"

But Remus didn't respond, once again immersed in the book and completely forgetting about the assignment that was due. James sighed and rolled over in exasperation.

"Ouch!" Remus exclaimed, massaging his left arm where James had hit him with a pillow. "Alright, alright. I'm studying!"

* * *

 **Please revie** **w! xxx**


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